


A Lesson in Vulnerability

by Beelzebub_fuckers



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Castlevania Season 3 Spoilers, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:14:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23124571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beelzebub_fuckers/pseuds/Beelzebub_fuckers
Summary: Alucard is taken advantage of and betrayed by the only people he'd bonded with since his friends left. When they return they find a pair of young hunters on stakes and an Alucard that isn't quite like they left him. Now they have to determined what happened and if their friend can be helped.
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Sypha Belnades, Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Trevor Belmont, Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades, Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades
Comments: 59
Kudos: 497





	1. Chapter 1

It was a bright night. A full moon hung high in the sky. Alucard laid in bed, smothered in decadent sheets, unable to sleep. He huffed, throwing the soft duvet off and rolling around, hating the feel of a satin nightgown on satin sheets. Everything about this castle was too bloody extravagant. The decaying excess felt particularly haunted. This was the most comfortable bed Alucard had ever slept in. But he suddenly found himself missing the gnarled oak he’d slept under with his friends.

Thoughts of Trevor and Sypha had failed to leave him since they’d gone on their way. Trevor left him with his family treasure. Sypha left him with her best wishes and all her love. Then they both left him all on his own, with only his father and mother to grieve. He’d cried every day in the hellish months of isolation following their departure.

Until Sumi and Taka had arrived. They arrived in a surprise ambush of arrows and tried to kill him upon arrival. They failed of course. Alucard was never vulnerable. Always prepared. He’d heard them coming from a mile away. But he’d grown fond of them and even come to bond with them. They were very demanding people. Always asking things of him. “Alucard, make lunch for us.” “Alucard, why do you have dolls in your kitchen?” “When will you teach us about the engine that moves the castle?” But.... he kind of liked that about them. He seemed to attract demanding people. Again Sypha and Belmont came to mind.

He crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh. “Maybe I should get a coffin to sleep in.” He said to himself.

He heard the door open ever so softly, light from the hallway streamed in, and he saw the silhouettes of his house visitors. He sat up quickly. “What’s wrong?”

They entered his room without a word, closing the door behind them and approaching his bed. “Nothing is wrong.” Taka said. Sumi also spoke. “Everything’s fine.” She echoed. The two of them sat down on either side of his bed. He felt the weight on the mattress even out slightly under him. They reached out, placing their hands on his chest. He looked up in confusion. Only to be met with soft, reassuring smiles.

“You’ve been so alone.” Taka purred. Sumi leaned in. “It’s time for your reward.” She said.

Alucard gasped under his breath, feeling his face slacken in shock as they pushed him back into bed. His mouth agape as he watched them pull their hair out of the ties that held it back. Sumi held a dark smile on her face as she leaned forward, taking his face in both hands. Alucard laid limply as she tilted his head up and kissed him gently. He lifted his hand, not knowing what to do with it or himself. Not knowing what to do at all. He let her kiss him. Opening his mouth into it. But she pulled away soon, leaving him to look up at her. Still confused. Taka took his face next, making him look at him.

Again his face was cradled, and he was kissed. But this time his hands had decided what they should do. He held Taka while they kissed, and he was lifted slightly, head lifted further up than Sumi had, allowing him to take an even more dominating position in the kiss than she had. Alucard’s vision was blurry when Taka pulled away. He was looking up at a beautiful bronze face through eyelashes and moonlight, and god he couldn’t get his eyes to focus. He knew how he must look. His golden eyes were blown out and glassy and he felt totally helpless to the two people above him. Alucard shook when the two siblings came over him.

Taka took off his shirt first, and god he was gorgeous. All smooth tanned skin and hard muscles. He looked like a warrior. And they were pushing his clothes off of him. Taking his clothes off to reveal all the pale skin and scarring beneath. They kept kissing him. Lining his face with small pecks over his eyebrows and flushed cheeks. Taka was over him, pressing his hips hard where Alucard was needy. Alucard threw back his head and cried, his face and body drawn taught. They kept switching places. And Alucard was overwhelmed. One moment Taka would be grinding himself between Alucard’s legs and running calloused hands over his ribs and stomach, the next Sumi would press her breasts against Alucard’s chest and face, encouraging his hands to wander. He grabbed whatever he could. Her nightgown, her bottom and thighs, her hair. He wanted all of her at once but she was always gone so quickly. Always moving to Taka so quickly.

She took his earlobe into his mouth, sucking gently while Taka cupped his erection, kissing down Alucard’s abdomen with slow brushes of his lips. Everything was so sensitive. The cold air, the hot bodies, and their mouths… He felt the ticklish sensation of tears falling down his cheeks. He hiccuped quietly while Taka positioned himself in between Alucard’s legs.

Again Alucard screamed into the night when Taka took him into his mouth. He grasped at Sumi, bringing her close and gasped into her chest while she whispered to him and ran small fingers through his blond hair. All he could think about was Sypha. And he was ashamed. It wasn’t fair. Not to Sypha or to Sumi. He tried to force the thought from his mind but she was still there. The wet heat pushed further down his shaft and Alucard was whimpering now, shaking and coming apart in the arms of his lovers. Lovers? Is this what it was to be in love? He thought it should be. He’d never done this before. And he felt so close to him. He was crying again. He’d wanted to be close to someone for so long.

Suddenly, Sumi was leaving him, traveling down to settle next to her brother, watching him suck Alucard’s cock. He writhed on the sheets, crying and shouting and making all manner of debauched sounds while his soul was sucked out through his sex. He looked down through teary eyes to see Taka pull off with a wet pop, swallowing what was in his mouth before licking and sucking the sensitive skin where Alucard’s thighs met his groin. He gasped and bucked, twisting his fingers through the expensive sheets.

Sumi was smirking up at him, and she reached down between Alucard’s legs. Over his sensitive cock and down to his hole. His eyes were wide and he opened his mouth when she inserted a finger into him. He felt as though all the air in his lungs had been punched out of him. He’d never touched that place. It felt… foreign to have something in there. To say the least. He wanted to tell her to stop, but her lips sealed over his before he could say anything. She covered his whole body in soft skin and wonderful soft thighs, and Alucard slowly swallowed his protests. It wasn’t so bad. He let her push saliva and extra fingers into him while he held onto her tight. Until she pulled away with another searing kiss of passion.

Then there was Taka, who hoisted Alucard’s legs up and over his shoulders. His hips came up off the bed and rested on Taka’s thighs. He was gasping for breath, head tossed to the side and totally defeated. Sumi pinned Alucard’s wrists against the bed and put all of her weight on him. At the same time that she sunk down onto Alucard, Taka began to penetrate him.

Alucard was screaming. His body felt like it was burning up. He was teetering on the knife’s edge of pain and ecstasy and he was thoroughly overwhelmed. Neither of the twins stopped. Taka didn’t pause until he was fully seated inside the vampire hybrid. Sumi gave him another kiss, dipping her tongue between his fangs and sliding it up against the roof of his mouth. Alucard sucked on her tongue desperately. He wanted to hold her. But when he tried to raise his wrists Sumi pushed down on them harder, letting her nails bite into his wrists. A warning. Stay down.

The two of them began to use him exactly the way they pleased. Taka fucked him slow but hard, with agonizing purpose that struck something in Alucard that he hadn’t known about. Something that made his body twitch and jerk. Sumi held him down and rode him wildly. Grinding herself against his abs and panting. She looked over her shoulder at her brother, and without a word passing between them, Taka reached between his sister’s legs and began to touch the small pearl that made her gasp. Again her hands tightened on Alucard’s wrists and she began to move her hips faster. Grinding less and bouncing more. Alucard watched with wide eyes as Sumi threw her head back and came on top of him. Alucard gasped at the feeling of twitching muscles throttling his manhood.

Sumi pulled away quickly, climbing further up Alucard’s body and settling down to sit on his stomach while Taka raised his legs up further, bending Alucard’s hips at just the right angle to drive into him at depths that made Alucard scream. Taka gripped Alucard’s thighs tightly and used the leverage to pound ruthlessly. Alucard came screaming and shaking while Sumi held him down. It was intense enough to make him go blind, and he shook with aftershocks. He felt cum trickle down onto the sheets when Taka pulled himself away.

Then their hands were trailing up his arms, while he laid out on the bed, gasping and soft and absolutely satisfied…

Until they put their silver bindings on him.

He grunted in surprise as they bound up his legs and chest. Long silver cables. He strained against them but it was too late. He’d made himself vulnerable. And they’d taken their opportunity to strike.

“What’s happening?” He growled between gritted teeth. His magical energy pulsed as he attempted to get out. But to no avail.

“You’ve been lying to us.” Taka accused him venomously.

“I have not.” Alucard retorted.

“You HAVE.” He insisted. Again Alucard attempted to struggle. Again he failed to break his way out of the trap. “Because everybody lies to us. Everybody hides things from us.”

There were knives in their hands. They were poised to strike. Alucard’s heart began to race in panic. “You won’t help us. Because nobody helps us.” Sumi said. “We will work out how to move this castle.”

“We will find all your secrets.” Taka continued. He gestured to his sister with the hand that held his knife. The blade glistened in the moonlight. “We will use them to build our own empire.”

Alucard sat up as best he could, wincing as he did so. The cords that held him burned and dug deep into his skin. They hurt terribly. “I gave you everything.” He groaned, hurt and betrayal stabbed at his heart.

Sumi lunged at him, teeth bared in a snarl. “No. You didn’t. Nobody does. We have been lied to and cheated across half the world.” Her voice began to shake with restrained anger. “Do you expect us to believe you’re different?”

Alucard’s voice broke in his throat. His hair was smeared over his face with sweat. He looked up at the people he made love to. People who took his first time as their own. People he’d bonded with and cooked meals for. He thought of the laughter, and the books he’d shown them from the library. He remembered their happy sparring matches in the sunlit forest. He was different. He loved them. He didn’t betray them. He never would. But how could he say all that? They had been there too. Were they blind to the memories he’d shared with them? Or had they really been pretending all along? Using him like they had used him in bed? “...I tried to be.” He said sadly.

“You haven’t taught us magic. You won’t move the castle.” Taka said furiously. “You’re just like all the others!”

“Please!” He shouted. “I know your lives have been hard. But the world is not against you. I am not against you.” He desperately hoped they’d believe it. He desperately wanted them to stay. As much of a fool as he was, he wanted them to love him.

Taka looked down at him from above, his face shaded and dark, and all Alucard could see was the hatred, anger, and apathy of a man who would not listen to anything he had to say. “Of course you’re not.” He spat bitterly. He clasped his sister’s hands, bringing their knives together. “You’re already dead.” Sumi said.”

Alucard struggled hard, trying to use his vampire form, transformation, anything to escape. But with all his power the silver held strong. He could hear the sizzling. Smell his own burning flesh. He groaned and strained. But he couldn’t escape. The twins lifted their knives as he fell back into bed.

He flinched away from the sight of the knives, and in his desperation, he closed his eyes and willed his sword to be called into his will.

It came quickly, in a flash, their throats had been slit. Their dark eyes were now filled with shock and terror, coming up to clasp at their own bloody throats. Alucard felt a sharp pain in his chest. “I told you my father didn’t like magical weapons. I did not say I didn’t use them.” He heard them choking, heard them slowly die, and the silver cable loosened as their life left them. “I never lied to you.” He said to himself.

The room felt cold. Sticky blood, tacky clammy sweat and horrible sex fluids clung to his skin. He sat up slowly, his body ached from sex and stung from his injuries. He shivered and drew the blood soaked sheets around himself. The room was dark and empty, and he ignored the dead bodies before him. He could not bear to look at them. His mind was entirely blank. He felt delirious, confused, his body was shaking. He felt… violated. But he’d liked it. Enjoyed it. Even if it was sometimes rough. Still. It had been his first time. And it felt desecrated. He felt used.

His legs slid off the bed. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He tried to stand, but the pain in his back and hips, it was terrible. He collapsed to the floor with a pained gasp. Shaking again. He brought a hand to his mouth, breathing heavily and trying to hold in his emotions. He had to leave. By any means necessary.

Like an animal he crawled across the floor, dragging his sheets along, smearing trails of blood against the hardwood until he reached the door. It was still slightly ajar from when the two had entered. He clenched his jaw at the thought. He’d welcomed them into bed. He’d kissed them. He let that man inside–

He couldn’t think about this. He opened the door and crawled down the hall aimlessly until he reached his childhood bedroom. Inside everything was the same as he’d left it. The broken window, the part of the bed he’d crushed in the fight with his father, the charred rug on the floor. His father’s wedding ring shining in the moonlight. This room, where he’d spent many happy days playing with his parents, and said goodbye to his father. He wished they were here now. He’d wished that many days since his father passed. Now more than ever, he felt like a boy who just needed his parents.

He curled up on the rug beside his father’s ring and cried hopelessly, clutching his sheet and face in shame. He wished more than anything that when Sumi and Taka had raised their knives, he had just let them kill him.


	2. Chapter 2

Trevor and Sypha traveled silently along the road through a forest they knew to lead to the grounds of the old Belmont estate. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and everything smelled of honeysuckle. But there was a lingering darkness between the two of them. A darkness that had hung over them since Lindenfeld. Sypha had horrible nightmares every night about tiny rows of shoes and screaming mad monks. A dark pit under an apple tree full of small skeletons. What little optimism and good spirit Sypha had managed to instill in Trevor over their happy month together had retreated back into the mean, dark, angry Trevor that covered a sadness inside. They held each other every night and tried their best to keep the dark memories away. But really, they just wanted to see their friend again. Their last big victory. Defeating Dracula.

The Belmont estate looked just as they had left it. Crumbling, dirty, depressing, with a big opulent fucking castle on top of it. But in front of Dracula’s castle was something very strange. Sypha gasped beside him. “Is that…”

Trevor gripped the reins tight and grit his teeth. In front of the castle steps were two corpses on stakes, flies and maggots clung to the rotting flesh and their eye sockets seemed to have been recently vacated. Probably by crows looking for an easy breakfast. “It’s horrible.” Sypha whispered. “What happened?”

He stopped the cart in front of the castle. “I guess we’re going to have to ask the fucking lord of the castle about that.”

The two of them dragged themselves up the steps and pushed through the door without knocking. Sypha looked around. None of the torches were lit. There was a feeling of vacancy, but she could sense he was here. It made her hair stand on end. And she knew with her every instinct something was wrong. Trevor seemed to have picked up on it too, by the way his hand casually came to rest on his hip right above his whip.

“Alucard!” She called out. “Are you there? It’s Belnades and Belmont!”

“Yeah, we’re here to ask you about the ruddy corpses with the spikes shoved up their asses.” Trevor said loudly. Sypha glared at him and gave him a shove. But there was no answer.

The two continued inside. Still Alucard didn’t reveal himself. Didn’t answer to them. Sypha sensed some kind of holy magic, and she walked up the stairs in search of them. But Trevor, blunt Belmont that he was, noticed something else.

“Those trails of blood seem fairly fresh.” He observed. “Think it has anything to do with the gorefest outside?”

Sypha looked down. Indeed there were small smears of blood down the hallway. She followed it off to the left, finding a place she found to be familiar. A child's room, with a burnt rug and a broken window. A wedding ring left on the floor. The place where they had killed Dracula. Her heart was tight in her chest, noticing the new addition to the room. A bloody white sheet on the floor. Satin, filthy, and left there with seemingly little thought. The lack of blood anywhere else in the room told her that this isn’t where the murders occured. Sypha turned to her companion, and he had already turned around, following the other direction of the blood trail.

This led to a bedroom. Which was obviously the place where the murders had taken place. It smelled of rot and decay. Dried bloodstains soaked the opulent bed, satin sheets once again, and there was splatters of blood arcing up the wall. Belmont had knelt to the ground, and was inspecting a set of metal cables, attached to a set of cuffs.

“This is silver.” Trevor said. “Enchanted silver. These people were prepared. They were wearing nightgowns, too. Were they staying here?”

Sypha stepped into the room, drawing her robe over her nose to try and block the smell while she lit a flame over her fingers, lighting up the room for better inspection. The bed was indeed soaked with blood. A frankly alarming amount of blood. Not unusual in their line of work. But she noticed something else.

“What are these strange stains?” She pointed to some sort of yellowed crusting. Trevor looked at it, then smirked.

“Take a guess.” He said with no small amount of amusement.

Sypha, however, was not so pleased. “Trevor. Those people were murdered in nightgowns. Silver cables. Silver knives over there.” She pointed to the foot of the bed. “And now… cum on the bed sheets? Don’t tell me you’re so stupid.”

Trevor’s face fell. “Don’t.” He said.

“We can’t assume anything. But if I were to guess anything based on what we know… I’d say that he was probably…”

“Sypha. Don’t assume the worst. It’s perfectly possible that these people just tried a good old fashioned vampire hunt. Men have been known to pleasure themselves.” Trevor mumbled. “They were wearing nightgowns. That means they probably stayed at the castle. That doesn’t mean…”

“Mean what?” The two whipped around to see Alucard standing there, squared in the doorway looking furious. His fangs were bared. “What are you two doing here?”

“Alucard!” Sypha exclaimed, the relief was evident in her voice as she rushed over. “We are so glad to see you.” She reached out to pull him into a hug, only to be shoved away. She cried out as she hit the bed, clinging to the post to avoid falling over. Alucard only snarled, eyes black and form sparking with dark magic.

“Don’t touch me!” He shouted. Trevor bristled, his hand going to his sword on instinct. He also noted Alucard’s unusual reaction with a sinking feeling in his stomach. That kind of reaction wasn’t good. He had the horrible feeling that Sypha, the smart bitch that she was, was right about what happened.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Trevor growled. “Don’t hurt her like this. Make your needs known like a proper fucking man. What are those goddamn effigies outside? What in the world happened to you?”

Alucard didn’t even seem to care about the questions being asked. “You never answered what the fuck you two are doing here. Skulking around and snooping where you don’t belong.”

“We came to visit you.” Sypha said, putting her hands up placatingly. “Alucard, Adrian, we’re your _friends._ ”

Alucard’s face didn’t change, and Sypha was chilled by the apathy in his eyes. The terrible coldness towards the people he’d grown to love. What _happened_ to him? Tears sprung to her eyes and she wrung her hands as she resisted the urge to hold him.

Tevor sighed, looking away from Sypha to Alucard again. “Alright. I know it’s none of our business. Frankly you can kill whoever you want. Not like I give a damn. But you’re injured. Sypha would be damn delighted to help you with that. Those are silver burns.” He pointed to the long burns that wound around his exposed arms and chest. “Did the people outside do that to you?”

“Take a wild guess, you bastard.” Alucard sneered. He turned quickly, storming out of the room. “Fine. Stay. Don’t stay. Just stay out of my way.”

Sypha was definitely crying now. Alucard had left, and Trevor could hear him quickly retreating down the hall. Trevor sighed and pulled the speaker into his arms. “Don’t worry about him. Fucking asshole has a chip on his shoulder. You didn’t do anything.”

“Yes. We did.” Sypha sighed. “It was a terrible mistake to leave him alone. We knew he was suffering from his father’s loss. And now this. These… these people who hurt him. He’s different. Why didn’t we take him with us?”

Trevor found he didn’t really have a reason. Did they have a reason to leave him behind in his father’s castle? Hadn’t he asked to stay? He couldn’t remember. But looking back, it had been pretty obvious that Alucard had been suffering. Even to him. Would it have been so awful to take Alucard with them? He thought about the wonderful adventures Sypha had dragged him into. And the terrible tragedy of Lindenfeld. Couldn’t Alucard have had a place in all that?

Trevor sighed. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. Try to see if you can do something about those wounds he has. I’m going to see if there’s anything else I can find out.”

Sypha ran off, wiping tears away from her face, and Trevor stood in the dark bedroom. He kicked at the silver cables. There was a growing, boiling feeling inside of him. Annoyance? Anger? More like a dark fury that ate at everything inside of him. Like how he felt when he saw the small closet full of bloody shoes at the Judge’s house. He looked again at the crusted fluid Sypha had pointed out. He knew enough to know exactly what it was. It’s possible they seduced him and then tried to kill him when he was weak and unsuspecting. Or it’s possible they tied him up first and then raped him. Trevor snarled at the thought. It was despicable. There had to be some honor among hunters. He’d never fucked _or_ raped any of his targets. Just good old fashioned fights and slashes with whip and sword. He turned heel and stomped out of the room. He needed a fucking drink.

He made his way down the long staircases to the kitchens. Surely in a big fucking castle there had to be alcohol somewhere. Or maybe not. He didn’t really know if vampires drink real alcohol or not. But based on the smashed wine bottles and racks along the wall of the kitchen, he’d say it’s at least likely. Trevor began to look through the selection on the shelves. Based on what his parents had taught him of wine, he'd say Dracula had fine taste. Big old bastard that he was. Trevor snorted and snatched a bottle off the shelves, not caring much one way or the other.

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Two objects that seemed rather out of place sitting on the counter. He turned and inspected the little dolls. His breath caught when he realized what they were. A little sack, maybe a sock or a cheesecloth, was stuffed with what seemed to be straw. Maybe hair? Spoons sewed to the sides as arms, a blue cloth of some sort wrapped around it’s lumpy body. With blue button eyes and red hair. A doll of Sypha. And the other, with black yarn as hair and wrapped in old rags, Trevor. He had made _dolls_ of them. Suddenly Trevor was sure that Sypha was correct. They made a mistake in leaving Alucard on his own. Damn that woman. Was there ever a time when she was wrong?

He picked up the dolls and clasped the bottle of wine under his arm, walking off to find Sypha and show her what he’d found.

Outside Dracula’s castle was the pit that led into the Belmont hold. Alucard seemed to have set up some sort of weight and pulley system that lifted a little platform up and down. If Sypha were to be anywhere, it would be the hold. Libraries and books were some of the places that comforted him most. He spent a minute trying to figure out how to get down, since the platform was already at the bottom. In the end he put on his gloves and clung to the rope, using it to slide to the bottom and gently as he could manage.

The Belmont hold was the same as they last left it. Large, grand, and full of books. Sypha had been doing her best to instill in him a better knowledge of different languages and literacy. He did his best for her sake, but honestly he’d never understand Adamic.

She was exactly where he expected her to be. Crouched over a book near a lit candle. Her eyes were swollen and red, her face blotchy and puffy. He briefly reconsidered showing her the dolls, then set them down on the table next to her. She looked up at them, and her eyes widened in recognition.

“Those were in his kitchen.” Trevor murmured. “I suspect he eats meals with them.”

Sypha’s eyes gleamed again with unshed tears, and her face was very soft with emotion. He crouched beside her. “I think you were right.” He grunted. “It was a bad idea to leave him alone.”

She nodded, closing her book and setting it aside. Trevor looked away from the dolls. They were unsettling and sad. Hastily made. They weren’t high quality, but even things that Alucard should have been able to manage were sloppy, Trevor’s button eyes were loose and hung off his face by their threads. The clothes had simply been tied to the sacks and the hair was held by bad stitching. It made Trevor think that he was just desperate to get them done at the time he was making him. He probably went mad within the first week alone. Everything about them was sad and uncomfortable. “So what’s next?” Trevor asked.

“Well I doubt your family has any information on how to heal silver burns.” Sypha breathed. Her voice was shaking, and Trevor automatically took her hand in his. “That wasn’t part of their job. Maybe Dracula had it written down somewhere. If all else fails, Lisa was a doctor. She probably had a book on burns. We could just treat them the way one would normal burns. It’s not like we have tons of options.”

Trevor nodded. “Right. Let’s get to it then. What do you want me to get?”

Sypha hummed. “Well from what I remember we need honey. Maybe some mint would be good. I’m sure they have some sort of salt in the castle. Soaking in salt helps clean and soothe the wound. For now just try to gather honey and mint.”

Trevor nodded. He’d forage herbs and other things from the woods while Sypha preformed impromptu medicine on people in villages they passed by. He’d gotten quite good at identifying certain plants under the tutelage of his companion. “I’ll try to find some sort of study. I’m sure Dracula gave Lisa a room to study medicine in his castle. That would have some better materials for me to work with. Rare ingredients and cleaning salt.”

The two of them ascended using the platform and stepped out into the sunlight. Trevor gave Sypha’s hand one last reassuring squeeze then turned to the forest to gather the materials she requested.

The castle inside was quiet and dark. Large, thick curtains covered every window. Which Sypha supposed was sensible in a vampire castle. Again she lit a flame with her magic and used it as light to ease her exploration. The castle was large. Perhaps too large. Many of the rooms were dusty and empty. They looked as though they’d never been used. Some were full of crates and unused furniture. Art that was never looked at. Books never read. Sypha was shocked by the hoarding and waste that Dracula seemed to have practiced. There were entirely too many rooms. Every once in a while, she’d come across a room that had been used. Well decorated, in good taste, and in every single room that Dracula had resided in there was a picture of Lisa. Sypha wondered if it had been that way before she died or if this was a result of her tragic death.

The large engine room was just as she remembered it. Covered in broken, melted gears and crumbling craters where Dracula had smashed his son through the walls and floor. Sypha moved on quickly.

There was a grand library that took Sypha’s breath away. It was much like the Belmont hold. And in a corner of the room, Sypha found Lisa’s life work.

Thin glass contraptions covered some of the tables. So delicate and complicated that Sypha could not even begin to decipher their purpose. There was a small shelving system set up. Colorful jars of powdered roots, leaves, and molds lined the shelves. Dried rosemary and mint were tied to nails on the side of the wood. Meticulous notes were laid out in bins. Books on one side of the table and a mortar and pestle on the other. Small vials and bottles were in a box. Sypha gasped at the detailed notes and drawings of the open books. Running delicate fingers over the worn pages. She could definitely whip up a burn remedy with this.

Sypha sat down in a nearby chair with an unusual green book that had no title. But there was an author on the inside.

_Lisa Tepes’ book of remedies and medicines_

Sypha hummed, flipping through the pages. It was most of what she expected. How to treat snake bites and bee stings. How to grow mold for a certain cough medicine she made. How to harvest and process the mold so it was safe to consume. How to clean wounds. How–

She paused on a page, her fingers hovering over the open book. _How to treat silver burns._

Sypha’s eyes blew wide in shock. Lisa had a whole section on how to treat the ailments of vampires. Silver burns, holy water blisters, poisons and curses. Evidently people had hunted Dracula still while she was married to him. Or perhaps Alucard as well. Or maybe she had learned how to help vampires from _other_ vampires. She imagined that after centuries of living and being hunted they would figure out how to help their healing along at some point. Whatever happened Sypha had it now. And she was grateful.

She needed dandelion root, salt, lavender, and river mud.

“Alright. I got the honey and mint.” Trevor said behind her. “What are you reading?”

“Oh! Trevor. Yes, forget that. We need river mud, lavender, and dandelion root. I’ll see if I can find some root and lavender here. Salt is in the kitchen. Go get my mud.” She said as she turned to Lisa’s shelving system. Trevor groaned from behind her. “Alright, Belnades. You better not send me out for glacier water, or robins eggs, or troll droppings. I swear you don’t appreciate me.”

“Stop your whining! I’m busy. Shoo, get my mud.” Sypha ordered as she pulled jars off the shelves.

By the time Trevor had returned she had finished with the powder. She mixed it all in a bowl together with the mud and smiled, giving Trevor a kiss. “Thank you, Belmont. This will be just fine.” Her hunter grunted his affirmation and Sypha swept off to bring her remedy to their ailing friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright bitches, emotions and setup and healing time, let's fucking go. Sypha's doing her part. But what of Trevor? Sit tight, my dudes. That's the next chapter

Alucard was in his another one of the many bedrooms in the castle, wrapped up in blankets but still shivering. Confronting Sypha and Trevor had made his haywire emotions even more raw. He felt dirty and ashamed. He felt guilty for pushing Sypha. But the idea of being touched right now was… frankly unbearable. He wanted to bathe. He wanted to crawl out of his own skin. He reached over, annoyed, and put out all the candles on his bedside. The light irritated him. Everything was so overwhelming. He threw the candle holder across the room. Wax splattered over the floor. He turned over in bed, clutching the blankets tighter to himself. The room was cold and lonely. His burns hurt terribly. Alucard missed his mother for the thousandth time.

“Adrian?” Alucard sat up at the sound of Sypha’s voice. Lilted at the edges with her strange accent and laced with concern. “May I come in?”

Sypha could do anything she wanted. Alucard was hardly in a position to deny her. Guilt tore at him. He wanted to be alone. But he needed company. “Do as you wish.” He said, trying to keep his voice as even as possible.

The door opened and she peeked in. Big blue eyes squinting into the dark room. She stepped over the candle on the way in, setting something down on the bedside before picking up the candle and lighting it again. Adrain looked at a ceramic bowl full of mud. He gasped. Recognizing it from his childhood. Whenever his father came home with holy water and silver burns, his mother always cleaned his wounds so gently and applied a concoction that made him heal.

“How did you do this?” He whispered.

Sypha smiled at him. “Your mother left a book behind. And most of the ingredients I needed. I just had my no good servant fetch me the mud.” She reached out hesitantly. “Can I?”

Again Alucard hesitated. The last thing he wanted was to be touched. But there was a need. A desperation that had existed long before that horrible night. The need to be close to someone. To be loved the way his mother had loved him. And the healing mud. That was his mother’s love. How on earth could he possibly deny that?

With his small nod of consent, Sypha gently helped him remove his shirt. The burns crossed over his chest, stomach, and stretched down before disappearing under his pants. Sypha flushed but remained professional. She drew water from the air and used her magic to run it through the wounds, cleaning gently but effectively. Before discarding the water off in a cup she had brought. Then she dipped hands into the mud, coating her fingers in it, and turned back to her friend.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

God, no. Yes. “Yes.” He croaked. Clearing his throat quickly afterwards. Sypha didn’t mention it. With tentative hands, she reached forward and touched his burns.

Alucard expected it to hurt. God, he did. Everything that touched his burns seared with pain. Clothes, sheets, water. They were slow to heal. The holy magic of silver prevented his vampiric side from healing himself. His body was constantly rejecting itself. Like an infection with no bacteria. But it didn’t. It didn’t hurt at all. The mud was cooling and satisfying. He wasn’t sure why this mixture of roots and salt and mud worked so well. But damn at this point Alucard had no room to complain. He loved the feeling of mud being slathered over his wounds.

What he didn’t like was the hands applying them.

Alucard grit his teeth, trying to hold in his protests. It wasn’t Sypha. He was grateful for what she was doing. He wanted her to do it. But being touched. It was unbearable. His breath hitched when her finger brushed over his nipple. Sparks of pleasure and revulsion clashed against each other and he squirmed. Spyha paused, pursing her lips.

“I’m sorry.” She said quietly. “Do you want to do this yourself?”

He groaned. He didn’t know. Why did this have to be so complicated? “Just hurry.” He breathed.

Sypha did so as best she could. Scooping out more mud and working it into his wounds. He couldn’t hold back a whine when her fingers started trailing down his abdomen. It reminded him too much of how Sumi touched him. When she put her fingers inside of him. God he couldn’t take it. Sypha worked quickly, she was sweating. Most of it was done. Now she just had to get his arms. But he seemed even more panicked when she started running her fingers up his arms. Especially when her hands settled on his wrists, where the burns were the worst. He began shouting at his point, and Sypha immediately removed her hands. She had hoped this would have been comforting for him. But it was obvious that this was agonizing.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She said, putting her hands on either side of his head, where she wasn’t touching him. Mud smeared over the pillows. “I won’t do it again. Adrian, please tell me what’s wrong. I need to know how to fix it. Did I hurt you?”

“Don’t leave.” He gasped. “Don’t leave me.”

“Never.” She promised instantly. “Never again. We aren’t leaving. I promise, Adrian. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Can’t.” He was wheezing now. Sypha was in full blown panic. She had never seen him like this. Her hands clenched as she tried to resist touching him. Trevor always needed her touch. Running a hand over his face to soothe his nightmares. Holding his hands. Having sex. But Alucard couldn’t handle this. “Can’t tell you.”

“You’re ashamed.” She said. It wasn’t a question. “We would never think less of you.”

“Trevor.” He mumbled.

“Trevor wouldn’t either.” Sypha promised. “You know how he respects you. Trevor respects the strong. Those who can hold their own in battle. Loyal people. This hasn’t changed that. It didn’t change you.”

And Alucard was clinging to her. Mud was all over her robes. But she didn’t care. She held him back. Knotting her fingers in his hair. Getting dirt in his white blond locks. Her shirt was wet. He was _crying._ She was crying. Everything was so painful. She regretted everything. She regretted going to Lindenfeld. Leaving Alucard behind. They were such stupid decisions and they hadn’t been good for anybody. She held him tight and tried to tell him how much they loved him.

“We’re never leaving you again.”

* * *

Sypha found Trevor in the kitchen once again. It seemed he’d been tearing into the wine supply. He sat hunched at the dining table, his face flushed and furrowed, glaring at his doll. “Trevor?” She called.

“Does he really think I wouldn’t respect him anymore?” Trevor slurred. Sypha gently took the bottle from his hand. Corks were scattered across the floor. Empty bottles lined up around their dolls. She knelt down to pick up the corks.

“Hopefully not anymore.” Sypha said.

Trevor stroked the hair over Sypha’s doll, he was frowning. “Why would he think that?”

“He’s changed.” Sypha reminded him. “He just needs to sort out now which ways he’s changed. His trust is gone. But that doesn’t mean our love for him isn’t.”

Trevor leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest, and looked up at the ceiling. She could see the gears in his head turning as he tried to decipher the meaning of her words. “Love?” He echoed.

“Yes. You love your family, your friends, your partners and pets.” Sypha said. “We love Alucard.”

Trevor thought about it. Trying to sort things out. Did he love Alucard? Typically, he thought of love as being the thing you gave to a woman. But now that she mentioned it, people did love their families. He tried to recall being with his parents. What had that felt like? He must have loved them. He felt their loss every day. Was that a loss of love, or was that loneliness? And Alucard. He certainly respected Alucard. Their teasing, aggressive banter was an expression of their grudging mutual respect for each other. He’d come to know him as a teammate, comrade, and friend. He loved Sypha. He knew that. Trevor would do anything for Sypha. Anything to make her happy and keep her safe. Would he do that for Alucard?

“Maybe.” Trevor said out loud. “Honestly, my grasp on the concept is weak at best.”

Sypha smiled. “You’re getting better at it.”

He returned her smile. She was so beautiful. “Why is there mud on your robes?”

She hand waved it off casually. “Oh, no matter. We need to do laundry anyway. And _you_ need to bathe.”

“Oh haha, Trevor smells.” He grumbled. “You sound just like him.”

“Anyone would smell after traveling for weeks without a bath. We both need one.” She said. “I’ll wash your clothes. You unload what we have from the wagon. We’ll need a big load of laundry.”

He sighed and got out of his chair. “Alright. You get the water ready. I’ll get the clothes.”

Sypha grinned. She was excited for this part. Dracula’s castle seemed to have a system of pipes and sewage. She wanted to see if the water heated up on it’s own. If not, it was no matter. She had _fire_ powers. She ran off to find the nearest bathroom.

Outside Trevor gathered up the bag where they kept all their clothes. He looked at the makeshift bed they kept in the back of the wagon. It was dirty after two month’s worth of sleeping, sex, and travel. He decided they should probably wash those too. He loaded all of the clothes and tools into the sack, hefted it over his shoulder and made his way back inside. Unfortunately, Trevor didn’t know the castle as well as his companion. He huffed, looking through every door down the hallway.

“Honestly. They could make this place easier to navigate.” He complained to himself as he opened another door. Pausing as he saw what was inside.

This was the room he stood outside of earlier. Eavesdropping on his friend’s conversation. Alucard was sprawled out on the bed, presumably he hadn’t moved since Sypha left him there. The bedsheets were caked with dried mud. Alucard was covered in it too. And very, very, naked.

Trevor’s face filled with blood as he tried to quickly and quietly shut the door. Too little too late. He’d been spotted. Alucard quickly gathered up the sheets to cover himself. He glowered at the intruder. Trevor’s brain whirled to quickly come up with an excuse. “Uh, I got lost. Sypha’s doing laundry.” Trevor grunted. Honesty. Much easier than deception.

Alucard huffed his annoyance. Trevor waited a beat. “Right then. Bring those sheets out whenever you want. Don’t live like an animal.” He said. Closing the door as quickly as he could.

He turned to go find Sypha, only to find her standing right behind him. The hunter nearly jumped out of his skin. It took all of his willpower not to throw a punch on pure instinct. “Oh, Christ, Sypha! Don’t do that.”

“Where have you been? Give me that.” She grabbed the bag out of his hands. “Oh, is he still in there? I have to do everything around here– Alucard, please. We need to wash those sheets. It’s also probably best we take the medicine off too. I should put a new batch on eventually. Maybe wrap you in some bandages? Those sheets are filthy, I know it. Please.”

The door opened just a crack and the sheets were shoved through, collapsing in a pile on the floor before the door was quickly shut. Leaving them outside. Sypha sighed, picking up the laundry.

“What is that about?” Trevor said.

Sypha turned around. He jogged after her to keep up with her brisk pace. Leading him to the bathroom where the laundry and bathtubs had been drawn.

“I think he’s terrified of facing you.” She said honestly. “I don’t want to rush him, but this isolation isn’t doing him any good. He needs you as much as he needs me right now. I think you’d make him feel… normal again.”

Trevor mulled this over. “So should I go in, bust down the door, and drag him out for a bath?” For this suggestion he was walloped over the head. He cursed loudly and shielded himself with his hands.

“Don’t be stupid! His reintroduction to social activities should not be naked people all over him!” Sypha hissed.

“He was naked.” Trevor interrupted. “You put that mud on him.”

“Is that jealousy, Belmont?” He crossed his arms and tried to look unaffected. Sypha threw the first batch of laundry into the wooden basin by the bathtub. “That was in a medical setting. For his burns. Don’t get possessive on me. Get in the bath. You smell like a horse’s ass.”

“Why does everyone say I smell?!” He fumed, stomping into the bathtub.

She ignored his outburst. “You need to introduce yourself to him in a context where your penises are not exposed. Try to meet him on equal footing. And act like a human being. Don’t push too much for things he’s not ready to talk about.”

Trevor huffed. “I’m perfectly fucking nice.”

She reached out and ran a hand over her lover’s face. “You’re working on it.” She said.

Sypha cleaned the laundry while Trevor rolled into the water. He sighed in contentment. A warm bath was just what he needed. He’d worry about Alucard at a later time. Meeting him on equal footing. Making him feel normal. Respecting him. He could do that. He was Trevor Belmont. Last son of the Belmont house. He didn’t fear man, nor fucking beast. He certainly didn’t fear Alucard Tepes.

He hoped the feeling was mutual.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trevor hangs with his favorite lad. And choices are made. What does that mean? Read to find out.

The day after Sypha was hanging their laundered clothes in the sunshine. Despite the warm day, the stone walls of the castle seemed determined to keep the heat out. The halls were cold and drafty. Therefore Sypha had deployed Trevor to chop wood for the fireplaces. This is where Trevor saw his opportunity. Chopping wood, banter, masculine bonding. It was the perfect activity in his mind.

So he came into Alucard’s den, where he was lying on the bare bed, waiting for Sypha to return his sheets. “Alright. You’re getting up now.” He announced. “Sypha ordered us to chop wood. I’m forcing you to help me. Some sunshine would be good for you.”

“I’m a vampire.” Alucard deadpanned.

“Bullshit. I’ve seen you frolicking around in the sunshine several times! You’re human too. Get the fuck up.” Trevor grabbed Alucard by his ankles and yanked him off the bed. He tumbled to the floor with a yell, caught off guard. Immediately upon landing he lashed out with his foot, kicking Trevor in the knee and bringing him to the ground. Trevor shouted as he fell forward. Falling directly into Alucard’s lap.

The two stared at each other for a beat. Blinking silently. Tension built between them and Trevor looked down to see Alucard stretched out underneath him. “...Right.” Trevor stood, dusting his pants off. “You’re up now. Wood chopping.”

Alucard rose silently, glaring at Trevor the whole way up. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

The two men stepped into the sunshine. There was a set of axes waiting for them. No wood. Trevor sighed. “Alright. I guess we’ve got to get the logs. Should we chop down trees or find branches that have fallen to the ground?”

“What did your family do? Your house lived here for many generations.”

“We cut down trees. Good strength training. You’ll find many stumps in the woods.” Trevor said.

“Then I suppose you should prove yourself worthy of your house and title.” Alucard threw an axe to him, which he caught easily. Trevor smirked. This was it. This was what he’d missed about Alucard.

“Should this be a competition?”

Alucard visibly rolled his eyes. “Please. We’re not children. Don’t be so juvenile.”

“Chickenshit.” Trevor retorted. “Scared your flimsy elf body can’t keep up with my Belmont strength?”

“Scared your weak human endurance can’t match my superior strength.” Alucard said with a smirk.

Sypha was hanging the last of the laundry nearby, and smiled to herself. This is what she’d been hoping for. Alucard was joking again. Trevor pissed everyone off. But he knew how to make people feel human. It was his best quality.

“You’re on.” Trevor growled. “Whoever gets the biggest pile of firewood is the winner. Try not to give up.”

“In your dreams, Belmont.”

The two set off to work instantly. Trevor picked a tall pine. Thin around the base but good wood for starting fires. Might as well start with good kindling. He pulled his shoulders back and swung his axe. Once, twice, as fast as he could. He killed monsters for a living. Using a whip as his main weapon gave him pretty good shoulders and he made quick work of the tree, bringing it down with a few quick hits. Trevor let it fall, and descended upon it to cut it up into manageable pieces. Alucard, however, had picked a nearby ash tree as his target. Because of his vampire speed, he was able to work faster than Trevor. However he had the disadvantage of being thinner and weaker. Vampires were naturally stronger, but their strength was artificial. Trevor had worked hard for his endurance and power, meaning he could go for longer than Alucard. It was his strategy to do as much in as little time as possible so that Trevor could never hope to catch up. It was the best way for him to win their little challenge.

Sypha, having done her work, went to the kitchen and began working on a cold drink for her two boys. Watching with amusement from the open window. She sighed, content. Watching those two idiots flex their muscles and throw their weight around… it did have it’s advantages. She bit her lip. Time to make ice for the tea.

Trevor was now cutting his pine down into firewood. He wiped sweat from his brow before swinging his axe. Tossing pieces of lumber over his shoulder into his pile as he worked. “Don’t take anything from my pile, you bastard!” He yelled.

“I am not a fool or a cheat, Belmont.” Alucard said, the hoisting ash tree onto his shoulders. “Don’t be stupid.”

Sypha whistled as she stirred honey into the tea. At the rate they were going they were going to tear down the forest. She watched with wide eyes as their piles grew higher and higher. She really should stop them. But they were having fun. She had to spoil them every once in a while. Sypha shook her head with a grin. But she would interrupt them for tea. They were not going to dehydrate themselves on her watch. She dropped ice into the jug, picked up some glasses, and headed outside with her tray.

Trevor was working on the last of a small oak when Sypha cleared her throat behind them. They both turned around at her call to attention. She poured them big glasses of cold tea. “Good work, boys. I made some tea. It’s a hot day. I wouldn’t want my drunken, brain damaged servant to get heatstroke and pass out. Now would I?”

“That you wouldn’t.” Trevor agreed, eagerly taking his glass. “Not good for work.”

“Thank you.” Alucard said quietly while he accepted his tea. It was a nice, cold mint tea. Trevor downed his whole glass in one go while Alucard sat on the castle steps and sipped his more elegantly. Trevor plopped down beside him without grace. Sypha filled Trevor’s glass again before heading over to check on the state of her laundry. Alucard looked at Trevor out of the corner of his eye. “Why do you let her talk to you like that?” He asked.

“What, am I supposed to stop her?” Trevor snorted at the thought. “I don’t mind. She calls me her servant but she does just as much work as I do.”

Alucard reclined back, resting his elbows back on the steps behind him and tipping his face towards the sun. It was a beautiful day. He breathed in the warm air with gusto. “She’s the leader.” Alucard said. He meant it to tease him, but Trevor just nodded.

“Yeah. She’s got all the bright ideas. And the will to do them. She loves adventures and victories. I’ve had a lot of fun with her.” Trevor told him. Alucard listened closely. “She told me that magic is making things behave the way you will them to. I’ve seen what she can do with magic. She melted the engine room in your castle. Her willpower, honestly it’s no wonder she’s…”

“The dominant one in your relationship?” Alucard smirked.

Trevor blushed. “Well, in a manner of speaking, yes. I suppose that’s what she is.”

Alucard rolled that thought around in his mind for a moment. He was shocked with how straightforward Trevor was about it. Sypha had definitely had an affect on him. Thinking about it, they made a rather striking pair. Trevor really was happier. He smiled. “Congratulations.”

“Yes.” Trevor said. “I hope she stays the same. Lindenfeld really changed her.”

“Lindenfeld.” Alucard frowned. “She mentioned it, but she never went into detail.”

Trevor’s face fell. His brow was furrowed and his face dark with anger. “Sypha and I had a good month together. Travelling, adventures, and nonstop victories. We had a lot of fun. But shit turned upside down when we stumbled into a miserable little town called Lindenfeld.”

Alucard leaned forward, knotting his fingers together in his lap while he listened. “It was a really strange town. There was a monastery full of crazy monks. Just fucking crazy. They desecrated their building and used it to house a night creature. Following the instructions of their ‘visitor,’ they sacrificed the souls of every villager to the demon. Which it used to open a portal to hell.”

Now _that_ wasn’t what he was expecting. He turned to look at Trevor’s haunted face while he recounted his story. Hanging on to his every word. “The Judge of the town, and we’ll get to him later, rallied the town’s forces. And we fought our way into the temple. The fight was hard fought, and we barely made it out alive before the building collapsed. Everyone in town was dead. Including the Judge.” Trevor’s hands were balled into fists, shaking on his lap where they were twisted into his pants. “He told us that he’d killed the Prior, and to burn his house down. He told us where to find his apple tree. And there we found a pit trap full of sharp stakes. At the bottom was the Prior, and a collection of small skeletons.”

Alucard gasped. “We opened a locked closet before we burned the Judge’s house down. It was full of children’s shoes.” Trevor grit his teeth. “Sypha was inconsolable. After a month of fun and adventure, we just really needed a home to come to. But what home does an orphan and a nomad have?”

“You came to me.” Alucard said in realization.

Trevor shrugged. “You’re the only home we have.”

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.” He promised.

“We plan on it.” Trevor said as he watched his lover. She was gathering up the firewood he and Alucard had created. “Sypha is the light of my life. I don’t want her light to go out. And leave us both in darkness. Even if I have to protect her flame myself. I’d do anything for her.”

Alucard like that. The selfish, boorish Trevor Belmont had decided something was worth more than himself and his ale. “Well. Let’s help her with that firewood. I think I won, by the way.”

“What?! Is the sun blinding you, blood leach?”

“Boys!”

* * *

That night, after dinner, Alucard was feeling much more like himself again. Sypha had washed the dishes, helped him put the sheets back on his bed, and gone back to her bedroom with Trevor. Alucard was in his father’s library, reading one of the many books he’d never indulged before. Dracula had a large collection of educational, nonfiction books. But he also collected fiction. Dracula believed stories and art had their own value and collected the ones that he believed to have the most meaning. Since he had a lot of time on his hands, Alucard figured he might as well read all of the books in his collection. With two libraries in his possession, he’d have to spend a lot of time on it.

He set aside his book, slipping a ribbon in between the pages to hold his place. Then he got up and got ready to go to bed. He walked quietly down the hallway, trying not to disturb his sleeping friends.

They were not sleeping.

Breathy moans and sharp gasps escaped the door of their bedroom. Alucard’s heart raced when he realized their door was cracked open. He was frozen in place, listening to Sypha say the filthiest things he’d ever heard to her lover. The sound of wet kisses rang in Alucard’s ears. His feet began to move without his permission and he found himself standing right in front of their door, peering through the crack inside.

Trevor was right on the edge of the bed. Sypha had her fingers knotted in his hair, and she was pulling his head back _hard._ His head was back as far as it could go and Sypha used this room to ravage his neck with harsh kisses and gentle bites. Trevor was groaning, the sound strained from the way his throat was stretched. His hands were grasping at her shoulders and _oh god she was naked._ Alucard gazed in voyeuristic shock at her breasts and thin thighs. Her knee was on the bed, leaning over Trevor, and he could see a shock of red hair between her legs.

He swallowed the saliva suddenly filling his mouth, and his golden eyes swept over Trevor. Dark, scarred skin stretched over broad shoulders and sharp shoulder blades. Oh god, he was so muscular. Alucard found himself enthralled by the way his muscles flexed and bulged as he scrabbled at Sypha’s back. The veins in his neck pulsed in a way that made Alucard’s vampire go wild. His shoulders were as broad as a barge, and his legs were wrapped around Sypha, beautiful muscular legs that Alucard wanted to bite.

Alucard was panting. This was wrong. He shouldn’t be watching this. Trevor’s hands wrapped around Sypha’s perfect waist and lifted her from the ground, pulling her into bed. Thick hands spread her thighs open, and Alucard watched captivated as his head sank down, down, down to a place that made her cry out loud.

And then Alucard was sprinting down the hall, light on his feet and silent as a mouse away from what he just saw. His face burned, and he clutched his mouth in quiet horror. He couldn’t believe what a scoundrel he was. Watching his friends in an intimate and _private_ moment. He pushed his hair away from his face. He was sweating. It was too hot under his clothes. And his pants were embarrassingly tight. He couldn’t get the image of Trevor crouched between Sypha’s legs out of his mind. He throbbed in his pants. This was wrong. Wanting them was wrong. They were happy together. He was happy for them. They were committed to each other. He couldn’t have them. Certainly not after what happened with his last two bedding partners. The people who’d taken and tainted him. He shut the door to his own room, sliding down to the floor with his back against it as he cried alone.

It didn’t matter how long he cried. He was still hard.

Sniffling, he reached down shamefully to touch himself. Moaning quietly while he thought of Sypha. Her arms made him feel safe for the first time since it had happened. Being wrapped up in them while she kissed him. His breath hitched, his hand slipping into the waistband of his trousers.

Trevor’s arms were larger than hers. Again the image of his biceps came to mind. God he wanted to be held by them. And the way Sypha had moaned when Trevor put his mouth to work. His hand moved faster over himself. He wondered what Trevor did with his mouth to make her voice pitch in that manner, and if he would do it for him. He rolled his hands into his own hand, gasping. Maybe Trevor would have his way with him while Sypha held him so close, pulling his hair back so that she could plant little kisses on his face.

Alucard came embarrassingly quickly with a keen that he tried his best to hold in. He bit his knuckles hard enough to draw blood as he came on the floor. He blushed, shame eating at him once again, and Alucard cringed at his own behavior. He was acting like a teenage boy. He took his shirt off and wiped the mess off of the floor, crawling into bed and huddling in for fitful sleep. Dreams about strong, dark arms and soft feminine lips kept him tossing all night in his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW. That scene at the end was a CHOICE. But you know what? This is art! And artists get to make choices sometimes. You can shame me in the comments. I need a priest


	5. Chapter 5

Trevor panted into the sticky-sweet folds he’d found himself gorging himself on. Sypha panted and rolled around onto her stomach, pushing her hips up into the air for Trevor. The hunter growled at the sight of his lover presenting for him. He licked the remnants of Sypha’s orgasm off of his lips as he crawled up the bed. He aimed himself towards her pussy, rubbing his head against her while she whimpered quietly. Finally pushing in, not stopping until their hips met. Trevor groaned, dropping his head onto her shoulder. Sypha sighed, content, and rolled her pelvis back against his cock. Her lover gasped, and fingernails dug into her sides.

“I’m warning you Sypha.” He purred, and Sypha shivered in delight at the husky growl in his every word. “I can go all night.”

“Oh, please do.” Sypha gasped. “Even if I fall asleep, just keep going.”

“Don’t tempt a hungry beast.” He said, thrusting shallowly up against her cervix. Sypha shrieked into the pillow, clutching it tight to her face. Her legs shook uncontrollably.

He pulled back a little to give her room to breathe. “Didn’t the beast eat enough earlier?” She gasped.

“I could afford a second course.” Trevor joked. He licked his lips at the thought of dipping his tongue back into Sypha’s pussy. Heady, savory sweet sex had become his favorite taste. He was ready to eat another round of Sypha’s dripping womanhood and his ridiculous words at Lindenfeld. Beer was _not_ better than sex. At least not better than hers.

She mewled at the thought of having his mouth back. “Yes.” She hissed. “Mmm. But first, you’ve got to finish this. I need it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Trevor said with a teasing smile. With that he angled her hips up further and began to pound as rough as he dared into her spread legs. Sypha screamed and rolled her spine, tossing her head back and opening her mouth wide. She was saying things in languages Trevor didn’t know, but her tone was all he needed to hear. He pushed his knees further back down the bed and used the new angle to batter against her cervix. Fluids gushed onto the bedsheets. So much for the fresh laundry. He grabbed her red hair, twisting her loose curls around his fingers and pulled her head back. Further and further until she was on her hands and knees. He let go then, kissing her neck hungrily and playing with her breasts.

Sypha gasped and moaned, long and lazy. Trevor nuzzled his nose into her hair and took a deep breath of her forest sweet smell while he tweaked a dusky nipple between his calloused fingers. Her heart and pussy fluttered, and Trevor groaned in a moment of weakness. One hand trailed down her stomach, right past the patch of curls and under her clitoral hood. Sypha whimpered. Overstimulation made her elbows buckle and her hips stutter. He ignored her reactions, slowly swiping a thumb over the bud of nerves. She squealed and arched her back at the sensation.

He hushed her for the first time that night. “Alucard isn’t too far away. Vampires have very keen ears.” He reminded her. “Do you want him to hear you?”

“Mmm,” She hummed. Really, it was tempting. Too tempting for one as adventurous and daring as herself. To just open her mouth and let the whole world know how good Trevor was inside of her. Maybe she was a bit of an exhibitionist. But Alucard was still getting over what happened with his last sexual encounter. He hadn’t even told them yet what happened. So she had to keep it to herself for now. She bit the pillow in frustration, drooling into the fabric of her pillowcase.

“Good girl.” Trevor purred. He went back to his previous task. Forcing her orgasm. The things Sypha’s pussy did in orgasm were too good to not want on his cock. Sypha kicked her feet as she crested into her second climax of the night. He gasped at the feeling of her muscles fluttering around him. He let her down onto the bed, and she sunk into the soft mattress, delirious and satisfied while he rolled his hips smoothly. She snuggled into the warmth of the bedsheets, comfortable and satiated while Trevor finished up behind her. He pulled her hair back and kissed her face, giving a quiet sigh while he came.

He rolled off to the side, pulling the covers up over them. “So. Are we going to tell Alucard we know he was watching?”

“Hmm.” Sypha hummed. “I don’t think so. Not yet. He’s clearly embarrassed about it.”

“Damn.” Trevor growled. “This is the perfect thing to hold over his head.”

Sypha placed a hand over her lover’s chest. “We need to give him some time.” She said softly. “I know you understand why. You care for him as I do.”

“Fine.” Trevor sighed. “But after we tell him you can’t stop me.”

Sypha hummed in agreement. “But for now, please put out the candle, darling. I’m so tired.”

Trevor blew out the candle at their bedside. The fireplace was still bright, filling the room with a soft light. But they could still sleep in the softer lighting. Sypha turned her face into the warmth of Trevor’s chest, letting him wrap her arms around him. They fell into a peaceful sleep soon after. It was a beautiful night.

* * *

The next day was a little awkward between the three of them. Trevor and Sypha had a certain shamelessness. Sypha had grown up in a caravan. Hearing soft moans and creaking wagons in the night was nothing new to her, and sex was nothing taboo. Trevor was a boorish Belmont who had never heard the word “shame” in his life. But Alucard carried shame with him every day. Over not saving his mother, killing his father, and now spying on his friends during sex. He had a hard time meeting their eyes and engaging in conversation with his friends. Giving small grunts and nods as answers to questions. Trevor was clearly irked with the fact that Alucard was no longer rising to his baited insults. Sypha just had a certain satisfied amusement over the whole thing.

In the meantime, Sypha spent her time reading books from the shared libraries. Trevor hoisted rubble out of the wreckage from their battle with Dracula and helped Sypha with whatever she needed. Alucard spent his day brooding. Until about lunchtime. Which Sypha insisted he have. Alucard could live off of either blood or human food. However, he hadn’t been eating either. Not since he killed Sumi and Taka. Misery and exhaustion stamped out his appetite. Outwardly his starvation didn’t show. He hadn’t lost muscle mass and he didn’t look tired or weakened by his fasting. But somehow Sypha _still knew_ and she was determined to shove food down his throat. Even blood if she had to. But for now, she was starting with the basics. Dandelion salad, rabbit stew, and wild pears. All things she and Trevor had found in the forest. With no towns, markets, or farms nearby, they had to rely on foraging for food. Something she was well accustomed to as a nomad. Sypha stepped back, proud of the meal she’d made.

She went off to get Alucard, who was where she expected. Brooding over a pile of books in the library. He was pretending to read, but by the way his blank eyes passed over the words, she could tell he wasn’t really absorbing them. She sighed. He knew _why_ he was so bothered by what he saw. But really, neither of them minded. They wouldn’t have continued afterwards if they had. Then again, he seemed to be under the impression that they had no idea he had seen them. She gently jostled his shoulder. “Lunch is ready. Please eat with us.”

Alucard frowned. He really didn’t want to. He didn’t think he could look Sypha in the eyes. Or _see_ Trevor’s mouth in quite the same light ever again. But he could tell how important this was to her. And she’d already put the effort in to make lunch for the three of them. It would be a shame to put her efforts to waste. He stood and silently followed her to the kitchen.

Trevor was already there. Serving them all plates of hearty stew, fresh salad and fruit. “I wish we had bread. You don’t by any chance have flour, Alucard?”

It took a moment for Alucard’s brain to catch up with what Trevor had said. He was so busy watching Trevor’s mouth work around the words that he hadn’t truly processed their meaning. “Perhaps.” He said. “I’m not entirely sure what this castle has tucked away. Or if the flour is still good. I’ll show you the pantry if you’d like.”

“That would be very helpful.” Sypha said. “But for now, let’s eat.”

With that they sat down for a meal together. The stew was good. Well salted, just the right consistency, and the rabbit was tender and well cooked. Trevor downed his soup first. Sypha and Alucard both started on their salads. They also ate with much more class than Trevor. Who simply picked up his bowl and dumped the soup directly down his throat. “Good job, Sypha.” He complimented her as he dragged his finger along the edge of the bowl, licking remnants of soup off his fingers.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Did you wash your hands?”

“Of course, I did!” He scowled like a child as he said so. “You keep bothering me about it.”

Trevor half expected Alucard to say something about him constantly being unwashed. Or being an uncivilized animal or something. But he was silent. After all day of being practically ignored by Alucard, Trevor was nearly fed up. They had been making progress. He’d been talking to them. He’d been having fun with them. Were all their efforts to socialize him going to be wasted because of his sexual hang-ups? “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

Alucard simply hummed, picking pieces of pear apart with his fork. Trevor groaned. “Are you going to be silent all day? What’s up with you? See something you shouldn’t have?”

Alucard jumped at those words, startled. His face was red and his shoulders tense. Sypha gave Trevor a murderous glare, but he elected to ignore her. Always a bad idea, but he’d face the consequences later. “You know, you could always make your problems known. That way we can work through it instead of drowning in your infernal awkward silences.”

Sypha ate her pears, watching carefully Alucard’s reactions. Trevor didn’t seem to be getting through to him. Figures. He was pretty bad with the delicate emotional issues. People needed to confess on their own time. In a comfortable environment where they felt safe. “Excuse us for a moment.” Sypha said, and she pulled Trevor out of the room.

“What are you doing?!” She hissed. “We said we were going to give him time!”

“He’s retreating back into his isolation. We’re not going to make any progress at this rate.” Trevor said.

“We’ve already made progress. Emotional healing isn’t a straight path forward. Sometimes you go in circles or take steps back. But he’s come a long way. What we need to do is make him feel comfortable. You confronting him is doing the opposite!” She grabbed his shoulder. “If you want, we can do something about it in three nights. That way he has some time to calm down. Then we can try to settle this and get him to admit what’s wrong.”

“I’d like that.” Trevor agreed.

“Then sit down, finish lunch, _don’t_ interrogate him, and let me make the plans.” Sypha shoved him back into the kitchen, but Alucard was already gone. Leaving behind a clean plate. “Well at least he finished his lunch.”

“As should we.” Trevor turned back to his plate. “You better have a pretty good plan.”

“I have an idea of what we should do.” Sypha said lightly. “I think it will bring several conflicts to a close.”

“Hallelujah.” Trevor mumbled sarcastically. Sypha didn’t deign to answer his little quip. Instead focusing on going over her plan. Hopefully it went over well, and they could put some of their tension to rest.

* * *

Trevor walked into the library. He was there to retrieve some books and materials for Sypha while she experimented, making different kinds of elixirs and medicines. While there, he saw Alucard. The vampire was stretched out over a luxurious chaise longue, legs folded over one another, stretched out over the length of the sofa. He had his head rested on one hand, the other spread over the pages of a book. Blond hair hung in his face, spilling over his shoulders in thick waves. And his eyes were hidden by dark lashes. That is when Trevor noticed, not for the first time, how beautiful Alucard was.

He’d seen pictures of Lisa, and it was obvious to see who he took after. Dracula was large and imposing, with a gaunt face and a strong brow. Dark hair, red eyes, hard lines everywhere. That was the essence of Dracula. Everything about Alucard was soft. He had the golden hair and eyes of his late mother, lily white skin, and a gentle face. A feminine face. His body was far closer to a human’s than the large, gangly body of Dracula. His eyes were his mother’s eyes. And just like Lisa, Alucard was stunning.

Trevor had noticed this before. It was hard not to. He’d resented this when he first met him. Vampires were known to manipulate and glamor people into throwing their lives away. Enchant them with pretty faces and emotional coaxing until the fangs hit their necks. He’d seen it as just another vampire trick. But as he got to know Alucard, the pleasing nature of his face shifted from being infuriating to distracting. Sypha’s beauty, like Alucard’s, was obvious to anyone who saw her. However, he was devoted to Sypha. In private moments, he had to admit some confusion. His fondness for Alucard was _definitely_ more than friendly. And that was confusing to him.

He hadn’t yet talked to Sypha about his attraction to Alucard. But she was fairly certain that she had an interest in him too. She made no efforts to hide the appreciative glances she threw the vampire’s way. And though she hadn’t specifically said she wanted him; she’d made mention of possibly bringing another person into their arrangement. If she was going to bring someone into their romantic life, he couldn’t imagine it being anyone other than Alucard.

Trevor quietly contemplated the nature of these feelings. A few days ago, Sypha had told him that he “loved” Alucard. He knew this to be true now. At least platonically. He knew that he would do anything for Alucard. Just as he would for Sypha. But romantic love was still new to him. He didn’t know what the line between true love and passing infatuation was. He was dedicated to Sypha, and she invoked butterflies in his chest. Feelings of fondness that were undeterred by her flaws. Her teasing, her bossiness, and her deathly cold feet. Alucard invoked those same fluttering feelings. But Trevor was uncertain if this was the same love, he felt for Sypha, or just a silly crush.

But looking at Alucard spread out on that lounge, Trevor felt an itching in his hands. The need to touch him. Probably his hair. He wanted to feel it. The thicker waves at the top, they looked soft. Much softer than Trevor’s own hair. And he wanted to wind the loose curls at the bottom around his fingers.

Or maybe he wanted to touch his face? Run his hand over his soft cheeks. Touch his jaw and press gentle fingers against his lips. Press down until Alucard let his finger inside.

Trevor suddenly felt a certain churning curiosity about his fangs. He’d never touched vampire fangs before. If he had it would have been the end of the Belmont line. But Alucard would never kill him. Were they smooth and sharp, like a fox’s fang, or even sharper than that? Like a needle. Or were they similar to human teeth, in texture and sharpness? Trevor shuddered as he thought about pressing the pad of him thumb against the point of Alucard’s fang. Drawing out a little drop of blood. The contrast of pure white teeth against blood was something that Trevor had come to know as a harrowing sight. But in this context… he really wouldn’t mind.

Yep. If he wasn’t in love with Alucard, he was _certainly_ in lust with him. He wanted to have him on his bed something fierce. He wanted to see him curled up in Sypha’s arms, gasping in surprise as Trevor slid inside of him. He wanted to pin him into the bed, kiss him, and rock him hard enough to make him see stars. And when he was weak and tired, maybe he’d even let him feed off of his blood–

“Do you need something, Belmont?”

Trevor was instantly snapped out of his thoughts by Alucard, who looked a little creeped out. Trevor silently hoped he hadn’t made any strange sounds, or worse, said anything out loud. But he had at the very least been staring at Alucard for an inappropriate amount of time. “Well, I need a few books for Sypha. But I don’t exactly know where to find them.” He said. Cool and casual. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew how to lie in a pinch. Alucard sat there blinking for a moment, and god he was gorgeous.

Alucard rose from his chaise longue to help his friend find the books he needed. Trevor watched his every move as he plucked medical journals off the shelves. His movements graceful and calculated. It was inhuman, very much vampiric. It was one of those sexy things vampires did, and the way he seemed to do it without thinking implied that it was a natural thing. Alucard handed the necessary books to his friend. Trevor thanked him and immediately turned heel to leave. It would be strange for him to stick about any longer.

“Sypha. I think I’m attracted to Alucard.” Trevor said to his lover as he set the books down in front of her.

“What else is new?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is quickly turning into porn. But I'm going to get back to emotional processing in the next chapter. I'm so excited! Now we have three more nights of angst, fluff, and our three protagonists falling madly in love. I'm thrilled to be writing this and I hope you like reading it. This is my first Castlevania fic and I'll probably write more. So get used to me UwU


	6. Chapter 6

Sypha was delighted by the wealth of knowledge at her disposal. The Belmont hold was a fascinating archive of magic, monsters, and weaponry from all corners of the globe. There were endless books of spells and diaries accounting the daring escapades of Trevor’s ancestors. There were all sorts of oddities. Some found in back alley markets, others stolen from the hordes kept by vampires slain. Every item had been documented and placed in a proper place. It was perhaps the most organized hunter hold in the world. Certainly the largest.

Dracula’s keep, on the other hand, was a storehouse of centuries of human learning. The Belmonts had dedicated their lives and library to monster hunting. Dracula had no one interest. There were books about philosophy, religion, architecture, and stories Sypha had never heard of. As a Speaker that last one was particularly fascinating. She obsessed over maps of regions long gone or conquered. Over art that had been lost or destroyed. There were medical journals written in languages that had been extinct for over a hundred years. If not for her long line of Speaker protected knowledge, these books might have been totally indecipherable. In other words, she had a lot to read.

Something she found particularly fascinating in the Belmont hold were books about dhampirs. Half-human vampire hybrids. Exactly what Alucard was. The Belmonts it seemed were familiar with these types of creatures. Meaning Alucard was certainly not the only one. They lived much longer than their human ancestors. Living for centuries at least. The Belmonts weren’t sure if they inherited the immortality of their vampire parents. As monster hunters they snuffed dhampirs out when they found them. Sypha pursed her lips at the thought. Dhampirs also grew faster than normal humans. Exactly as Alucard had alluded to with himself. Dhampirs could be fully grown in as little as ten years of age. Her eyes widened at the thought. She had just begun developing into a woman at that age. To be fully grown did seem a little unnatural to her. Dhampirs were also known to be “sensitive.” Though the Belmonts didn’t elaborate exactly on what that meant. They were weak to silver, but not to running water. They fed on both blood and human food, but needed to eat a little less than their human counterparts. Sypha tore through these books in a little less than a day.

“Sypha. You need to eat. You’ve been sitting there all day.” Trevor said.

“Trevor! Listen to this. When born, dhampirs appear to be stillborn, but have very faint heartbeats. Some of them come out feeding on breast milk, but others bite their mothers when she attempts to feed them.” She flipped another page. “I wonder if Alucard came out desiring milk or blood?”

“Is that what you’ve been doing all day?” Trevor grunted as she looked over her shoulder. “I thought you were learning how to make medicine.”

“Oh, I’m still doing that. I have plenty of time.” She waved him off. “Did your family make any more of these?”

“Well by the looks of it you’ve already read all of the previous volumes, so no.” Trevor sat down across from her and kicked his legs up onto the table. “Dhampirs aren’t actually that common. And my ancestors didn’t exactly keep them around for a long time. I haven’t read the diaries yet but I think it’s unlikely many of my ancestors made friends with vampires. Or _Dracula’s son._ ”

“I wouldn’t be sure about that. Your family had a lot of hunters. None of them ever outright say they had any ties with vampires, but some of these diaries imply… positive relations. Even romantic intent with vampires.” Sypha places a ribbon against the spine of her book, and looked up to Trevor’s shocked face. “Don’t look so surprised. You admitted not a day ago to being attracted to a dhampir. You know well that vampires have a reputation for being glamorous and beautiful. Why would you be the first of your line to be attracted to one?”

“I guess that makes sense.” He grumbled. “But we’re _Belmonts_ for God’s sake. We’re supposed to hunt the night. Not fall into bed with it.”

“You haven’t fallen into bed with the night.” Sypha smirked. “Yet.”

“Don’t.” Trevor said, but he was smiling. “You’ll jinx me.”

Sypha stood, and as she was placing books back onto the shelves, her stomach growled loudly. “Well. I guess you’re right. I should eat something. What meal would this be?”

“Dinner. I said you’ve been in here all day.” Trevor shrugged and took her hand, leading them over to the lift. “Alucard hasn’t cooked anything. But if you want I can attempt to put something together.”

Sypha wrinkled her nose. Trevor wasn’t the best cook. Actually he was terrible. But he also wasn’t picky. Trevor ate anything he could get his hands on. However he did rather well at spit-roasting animals over campfires. “I suppose I should cook.” She said, trying to be polite as possible. “It would be good to get on my feet and do something.”

“I see the look on your face.” Trevor pointed out. “Really, my duck eggs weren’t that bad.”

“Trevor they were overcooked and covered in ash from the fire.” She reminded him.

“That’s just seasoning. Honestly you two are so picky.”

“And _you_ are a disposal for garbage!” Sypha said. Trevor smiled in spite of the insult. Her accent made anything sound good. “You broke the yolks too.” She mumbled under her breath.

“My apologies, your highness.” He bowed her onto the elevator. “I’ve shamed my family in my subpar service.”

“Well, what can you expect from a brain-damaged, drunken servant?” She said through a fit of giggles.

As they walked across the yard together, Alucard watched from the upstairs window. It was a warm, sunny day. With a strong wind. Their hair and robes blew violently, causing them to laugh and shout as they ran across the lawn. He looked at their happy, loving expressions. He looked at their hands locked into one another. And inside Alucard felt a boiling, impotent rage. A feeling of anger so irrational and indescribable that he could not put words to it.

Until he saw them clamber up onto the steps. Sypha clutched her shawl around herself and stood on her toes. Just to kiss Trevor. A sweet, chaste kiss. Then Alucard realized that no, this feeling _did_ have a word.

It was jealousy.

The intimacy of two beautiful people between each other. Between his loved ones. All Alucard could feel was the hopeless anger of someone who wasn’t involved. Someone who coveted two gorgeous lovers and was left out. He watched through hot, angry tears while Trevor ran his hands through her golden-red hair. And shuddered when Sypha ran her hands down Trevor’s back. They were holding each other. Alucard turned away.

They entered the castle in a flurry of laughter. “Alright, Belmont. What should we make for dinner?”

“WelI spent some time foraging today. While you were reading. I could try to redeem myself with new duck eggs. Or we could make another batch of dandelion greens. I also found some garlic. We could roast it.” Trevor grinned. “Maybe it would piss Alucard off.”

“I read that garlic doesn’t hurt vampires. That’s a superstition.” Sypha frowned. “A Belmont should know better.”

“A Belmont knows that. A Belmont _also_ knows that vampires are pissed off by silly human superstitions about them.” He said. “They think it’s stupid and primitive.”

“He already thinks you’re stupid and primitive.”

“Yeah. Stuck up asshole.”

“Do we have any meat?” Sypha asked, entering the kitchen and looking into the pantry. She smiled when she saw venison laid out. It was fresh. Trevor had probably just finished skinning and butchering it before coming to retrieve her.

He was already getting out a pan. “We’ll need to smoke the rest of that.” He said. “I wonder if they have a smoker? Do vampires preserve things?”

“We’ll have to ask Alucard later. But first! Venison and roasted garlic sounds lovely. Did you get any vegetables?”

“I got some sort of root. I believe it’s called a skirret.” He said. “Starchy root thing. I used to eat them on the road.”

“Perfect.” Sypha said. “You wash the skirret and prepare the garlic. I’m going to start the meat.”

Trevor did as he was told. Turning on the faucet in the kitchen. Vampire castles really were very strange. Hot water running through metal veins. Indoor water pumps that pumped water on their own. Lightning torches. He scoffed. It was convenient, that’s for sure. He couldn’t believe the Belmont stories of Dracula’s castle had been true. Yet now he stood making dinner in _Dracula’s castle_. His ancestors would be rolling in their graves if they could see him now. But then again, his ancestors never defeated Dracula in over a century of concentrated efforts. So they could fuck right off.

Sypha slid the meat into the oven, stacking firewood inside and quickly lighting the fire with magic. Soon the kitchen was filled with the crackling of burning logs and the sizzling of cooking meat. He chopped the tubers into bite sized pieces and sliced the garlic in half. Soon they were cooking. Sypha placed another pan, full of garlic and skirret into the oven. As the dinner was cooking, Sypha rested a fist on her hip and hummed in contemplation. “Hm. Something is missing. Something fresh.”

“Fresh.” Trevor repeated.

“Yes. Like crisp greens or sweet fruit. Something that isn’t so heavy. Something light on the palate.” Sypha stepped back into the pantry. “Did you happen to get any fruit while you were out?”

“Blackberries.” He said.

Sypha nodded. “That will do. Alright. Be a dear and go fetch Alucard for me.”

Trevor groaned. His last interaction with Alucard had been awkward. His unnerved expression haunted Trevor. He really didn’t want to confront him right now. But with Sypha’s demanding glare he really didn’t have a choice. He was pretty helpless to say no to her. He sighed and turned heel. Where to find Alucard? Safest bets were his room and the library.

He peeked inside Alucard’s room and found it empty. The halls were long and silent. And Trevor noticed how dusty the castle was. It wasn’t very clean at all. He didn’t know if that was because Alucard hadn’t kept up with the cleaning or if it had always been that way. It was a rather large castle, and he couldn’t imagine Dracula being the cleaning type. They should probably clean. After dinner would be a good time. Or maybe tomorrow before lunch. With that thought he stepped into the library.

Only to find it empty.

Trevor groaned. He wasn’t surprised. Just annoyed and inconvenienced. This was a very fucking large castle. Where else did Alucard have to go?

There were rooms that he knew Alucard were very unlikely to visit. The bloody bedroom, his father’s study, and his childhood bedroom. Alucard almost never visited the first two, and only seemed to go to the latter when he was feeling emotionally disturbed. He tried the washrooms, Lisa’s study, lounges and libraries. Trevor grumbled in irritation. This castle was just too damn large. He knew for a fact that most of these rooms were never used. Books on the shelves never touched. Dust collected on spines and cobwebs on the couches. He moved on.

He found Alucard standing on a balcony. Honey hair swept around his shoulders in the wind. Strands glittered like gold in the sunlight. He sighed. “It’s time for dinner. You haven’t eaten today.”

“I don’t need to eat as much as you.” He said coldly. “Go enjoy your meal with Sypha.”

“You know she doesn’t enjoy her meals without you. That’s how she is. I tell her she’s babying you, but you know she doesn’t listen to me.” Trevor said. The jokes got no rise from Alucard. “You could afford to eat. People don’t always eat because they’re hungry. They also do it to enjoy themselves and to be close to others. I got a deer.”

Alucard still didn’t say anything. Trevor clenched his fists in frustration. Why did he have to be so difficult all the time?! He took a deep breath. Sypha told him to be patient. Alucard was dealing with his emotions. People hide what they mean in what they say. He didn’t need to eat as much as they did. But Alucard also told him to enjoy his meal with Sypha. He was leaving himself out of the equation. Setting himself apart from him. Did he think that they wouldn’t enjoy dinner if he was there?

“I’d like it if you were there.” Trevor said. “I never thought I’d say this, but I missed you when you were on the road. We fought well together. And eating by the campfire with you was a good change of pace. After leaving the Belmont home I didn’t have anybody to eat dinner with.”

He let that sit for a moment. He stood beside Alucard and leaned on the rails. Looking out on a beautiful sunset over the forest. He smiled, recognizing the landscape he grew up on. It felt good to be home.

“We want to have dinner with you.” Trevor said. It dawned upon him that Sypha had made a huge impact on him. Being open with his emotions in this way was something the Belmonts had never really done. Being orphaned hadn’t helped. But now he was making his needs known to a goddamn vampire.

Alucard was still silent. But when Trevor looked over at him, he was smiling. A small, personal smile of private happiness. His face was flushed with pleasure, and his eyes shone in the setting sun. Just like in the library, Trevor thought about how beautiful he was. He looked away. “So, uh. Do you like venison?”

“Well, it’s better than your awful duck eggs.” Alucard finally said.

“Hey!”

Alucard laughed, so clear and genuine it made Trevor’s heart skip. God. What the hell was that? He felt like he did when he’d been on the road with Sypha. When he’d obsess over every little smile and joke she made. And gave her the drumsticks even when he wanted them. Fuck.

He was falling in love with Alucard.

They descended the staircase together. Trevor was silently freaking out. Sypha made it clear the other day how she felt about Trevor being attracted to Alucard. _“Trevor, I’m a full grown woman. I would have to be foolish not to be attracted to Alucard. Or perhaps a homosexual. If you ever want to drag Alucard into bed, just be sure to give me an invitation.”_ But Sypha had grown up outside the church. It was well known that Speakers were fully accepting of homosexuals. It was one of the reasons they had long-standing antagonism with the church. But the rest of society was not like this. Trevor was secretly afraid of these feelings. Which seemed foolish, considering he was excommunicated from the church. However that didn’t make the feelings go away. It just made him feel stupid. He scowled at himself.

“Ah, Belmont. You finally returned with Alucard. Took you long enough. Now wash your hands and sit down before your dinner gets cold.”

Sypha was already drying her hands off on her robes. She blew a strand out of her face, irritated. “Ugh. My hair is getting a bit too long for my comfort. Do either of you know how to cut hair?”

“Uh. I cut my own hair. But I also don’t care about how it looks.” Trevor said. Truthfully his hair was very attractive. But it was uneven in places. Sypha prefered if her hair was handled with more care than the Belmont handled his own.

“I can cut it after dinner.” Acluard offered.

“ _You_ cut hair?” Trevor scoffed. “You have the longest hair out of all of us.”

“And yet it is healthier and more even than yours, Belmont.” He quipped. “I think you’ll find that when one lives as long as I, you may pick up a great many obscure skills.”

“I’m older than you.” Trevor deadpanned. At that, Sypha burst into laughter. Nearly spilling the roast venison over the table as she doubled over. Alucard was chuckling too, and Trevor joined in shortly after. They sat in the kitchen laughing like fools for far too long. Trevor clutched his sides. Sypha wiped tears from her face. She giggled while she laid venison steaks onto their plates.

They ate well. The skirret was filling and well salted. The venison was gamey, but none of them cared. They drank wine and enjoyed a well cooked meal. Sypha sighed in satisfaction, rubbing her over-full stomach while she basked in the joy of her company. Even Alucard was happy. Genuinely happy. He was smiling, all his pain temporarily forgotten. The kitchen was warm, the fire in the oven slowly dying while Trevor demolished the last of his garlic. Alucard filled another glass of wine. Sypha ran her finger through the collected juices on her plate and sucked them off her finger. Alucard looked over at Trevor. Once, twice, again. Was he flushed from the alcohol?

Perhaps. But the fondness in his eyes was genuine.

She smiled to herself and swirled her glass of wine. Interesting. It seems Trevor’s attraction wasn’t so one-sided after all.

“Alucard. Do you still want to cut my hair tonight?” She asked, her words were drawn out and relaxed.

“Oh, yes.” Alucard stood suddenly, laying his glass down and moving gracefully around his chair. Trevor wasn’t so lucid. He simply slumped forward onto the table, slurring something Sypha couldn’t quite catch. Sypha smiled fondly and placed a kiss on Trevor’s forehead. Again that boiling jealous rage bubbled beneath the surface, but he pushed it down quickly. They weren’t for him. He needed to cut her hair.

Sypha settled in the bathroom on a chair from the bedroom while Alucard retrieved a pair of scissors. Alucard parted her curls gently. “So, what do you want me to do with this?”

“Just take an inch or so off. Nothing fancy. I just didn’t want Trevor to go at it. You know how he does things.” Sypha said. Alucard began to follow her instructions while she talked. “It’s not that Trevor isn’t capable. We all know his skills. But the only time he handles himself with any grace is when he’s fighting. It’s strange how clumsy he is. You can tell in the way he rests, he’s a natural born hunter. I think if he wasn’t half drunk most of the time he would move like you do.”

Alucard made a noise as a reply. His hands carded through her hair. Soft red curls that fell along their natural part no matter how many times he tried to split it down the middle. It was a sort of strawberry blond. Strands of straw blond and fiery red blended seamlessly to create a lovely diversity of color. He used his comb to pull sections from the top out and used his scissors to cut down measured portions of it. The discarded locks fell around his feet. Her hair smelled lovely. She must have gotten into the sandalwood powder that her mother had used before she died. He breathed deeply, trying to discreetly smell her from an appropriate distance. More hair fell away. His hands deftly pulled her hair away from her face, back over her scalp where he could cut it. Sypha sighed and relaxed while his knuckles brushed against her head.

Alucard looked down at the top of her head. He was working around, taking pieces away here and there, leaning and twisting his wrists to follow the natural curve of her skull. He was so close now, next to her ear as he cut away the pieces surrounding the shell of her ear. Her face had the loveliest curve. He swallowed quietly. God. It was one thing to be jealous. One thing to fantasize behind their backs. But doing it right in front of them? He tried to suppress the fluttering feeling of attraction, but it persisted. Just like every other inconvenient emotion he ever had. He bit his lip, fangs piercing the skin easily. Alucard moved a little faster. Trying to finish as quickly as he could.

Her sandalwood hair suffocated him. Her beauty stung him. It was almost too painful to look at Sypha. Because this silly infatuation was something he could never express. Because she was with Trevor. It was unfair to destroy that.

“There.” He croaked. Alucard cleared his throat violently, then tried again. “How does that look?”

Sypha leaned towards the mirror to inspect herself. Alucard caught his eyes roaming over the curve of her back through her robes. The dip of her waist. He recalled the way it looked without the robe. When he looked in through their bedroom door. She was muscular. Her stomach had a soft layer of fat that softened her, but when she moved he could see the hard abs she hid underneath. She was a battle-hardened woman and it made her even more attractive. He looked away.

She was pulling her curls around. “Yes. This looks lovely.” _You look lovely._ He didn’t say it. He bit his lip harder. She turned to him with a soft smile. “Thank you, Alucard. Now, let’s see if we can’t get Trevor into bed.”

He swallowed down these guilty feelings and followed her out into the hallway. If he ignored them, it would be fine. He could never think too much about them. Otherwise he’d have to describe them. And he couldn’t ever say that he was in love with Sypha Belnades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three days! There goes the first. Three days for them to realize that they're all in love with each other. The stupid idiots. Our intrepid heroes are going to have emotional days ahead of them. Stay tuned to read their gripping story of emotional discovery and hopeless romance! This is going to be quite a challenge for me as a writer. But I can't wait. It'll be so much fun!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet, more falling in love. Sorry, it's been a while. But I've been drawing a lot! I am, however, happy to get back into writing this. It's so cozy. Enjoy the chapter while you stay inside on this lovely quarantined day.

Sometimes when Trevor closed his eyes, he was blessed with only darkness. Seeing the black of his lids was true peace. Often alcohol was able to bring him this relief. However, it was not always so.

He tossed and twisted in bed, haunted by fitful nightmares. Instead of the comforting darkness of his closed eyes, he saw the roaring flames that consumed the Belmont estate. He heard the agonized screams of his family. The shrieks of his little sister, banging on the window but unable to break it. She was too small. Weak and helpless. She could never escape on her own. He watched in paralyzed horror as the flames exploded outwards, shattering the windows and swallowing his little sister whole. And then there was the horrible silence. The crackling of flames. The absence of screams.

He bolted up in bed, clutching his chest and his breath coming hoarsely on a silent scream. His throat felt tight. Tears fell onto his lap. Sypha was still asleep beside him. Her breathing was even and her face relaxed. Trevor squirmed with guilt. He couldn’t wake her. She too had nightmares. And he didn’t want to ruin her peaceful sleep. But he couldn’t stay sitting still. Couldn’t put himself back to rest. His brain turned slowly, muddled by alcohol. Before he fully finished a thought, he was on his feet, and he was out in the hall.

He stumbled blindly, gasping and cursing as he tried to coordinate himself. This would be much easier if he was sober. But he was glad he wasn’t. It was always worse sober. When he was sober, he felt ashamed. Guilty and embarrassed by the tears on his face. Guilty that he hadn’t gone back in for his little sister. But when he was drunk, everything was dulled. The sharp knife of guilt was a blunt blade. One that bruised and grazed but never sunk to his core.

His hands were pushing at a door, and he fell inside. He tripped and fell into the bed. He sighed and gasped around his tears.

“Belmont? What are you doing?”

Trevor’s head tried to process what the words meant, but they never really sunk in. All he really absorbed was that Alucard was there. He slung an arm over the vampire and pulled him in. He could feel how tense Alucard was under his embrace, but he didn’t really understand why. “Sorry.” He slurred. “Useless. Drunk. Always am, you said so.”

“I did.” Alucard said lightly. His voice was soft, and Trevor cuddled in closer, nuzzling his face into Alucard’s hair. It was quickly wet by his tears. “Why are you crying?”

Trevor hummed. “Mmm. My family.” He remembered. “Burned like witches. Didn’t do anything about it.”

“Neither did I.” Alucard said gently. “And I wasn’t a child.”

Trevor scoffed, but the tears came faster. He wrapped his legs around Alucard, and nuzzled deeper into his hair. “Smell good.” He said, and his voice was embarrassingly small. Like a child.

He felt the comforting pressure of Alucard’s arms coming around him. He was hugging him back. Trevor hiccuped. The room was quiet and dark. They couldn’t see each other, but that was better. It made them feel like equals. Not seeing each other’s weakness. If Alucard couldn’t see Trevor’s tears, then he wasn’t crying. If Trevor couldn’t see Alucard bite his lips in a sad desperation to be loved and held, then he wasn’t being clingy. They both silently pretended that they weren’t using each other. That they were strong.

The door opened briefly, letting in a sliver of light from the hall, but it was gone quickly. The other side of the bed sunk down, and Sypha pulled Trevor into her arms. Her hand caressed Alucard’s hair. She didn’t say a thing. Nobody said anything.

The room was quiet and dark. For a moment, they were all equals. They were all safe. Because in the darkness of the room, they were allowed to love each other without their weaknesses being exposed to the light.

* * *

The next day none of them spoke about it. They got breakfast and ate quietly as they tried to figure out what to say. Trevor was the one to speak first.

“The castle is filthy.” He said. “Was it always like that, or are you a terrible housekeep?”

Alucard pursed his lips, but there was a hint of a smile there. “Both.” He answered. “Dracula was not known to do regular cleaning. But he had magic. And when my mother came into his life they both made an effort to keep things homey around here. But it was always… dusty.”

“Well I think it’s about time we did something about it.” Trevor announced. “Honestly. You constantly berate me for my smell but you live like this? Hypocrite.”

Sypha clapped her hands, her eyes shining. “That’s a great idea! Do you happen to have cleaning supplies in the castle?”

“I’m sure we have something of everything here.” Alucard answered. “It’s only a matter of finding it. I’ll check the storage closet. Hopefully it’s not any harder than that.”

Trevor popped a blackberry into his mouth, savoring the burst of dark, sweet juice in his mouth. Sypha ate her eggs and drank her water. Alucard disappeared down the hall to search for brooms and rags. Sunlight streamed through the open window. Outside the window, Trevor saw a bird land on a wild rose bush. It was a beautiful, peaceful day. There was some tension. Trevor vaguely recalled falling into bed with Alucard. Remembered the way Sypha and Alucard held and comforted him without words. Sypha was teaching him how to be vulnerable, but he still wasn’t quite ready to talk about it. He smiled to himself. The bluebird took flight. Same color as Sypha’s robes.

“I wonder if Alucard has any spare dresses around.” He said to himself.

“Want to try one on? Now _that’s_ something I want to see.” Sypha smirked.

“No. I was wondering if we could find spare clothes for you. You wear those 24/7. You sleep in them.” Trevor shrugged. “I’ve never seen you wear anything else.”

Sypha contemplated it, eating toast as she did so. “That wouldn’t be terrible.” She agreed. “We’ll ask him.”

Trevor was stunned. For some reason he hadn’t expected it to be so easy. He didn’t really imagine what would happen if he said it out loud. But she was a speaker. Shedding her robes would be shedding the mark of her people. But maybe that wasn’t important to her anymore. She wasn’t living as a speaker anymore. She didn’t travel with a caravan. She read books and wrote things down. She called the Belmont/Alucard estate home. It probably didn’t mean anything. Just a change of clothes. Maybe he was looking too far into it.

“Alright.” Alucard said, appearing with a pile of rags in his hands. A bucket, mop, broom, and duster shover into his other arm. “I can also get the rug beater if you want to do a deep clean.”

“We should. This place hasn’t been cleaned in quite a while.” Sypha said. “Do you have a spare dress I could wear?”

Alucard paused. He set down the supplies on the table. “Yes.” He said quietly. “I might. Excuse me while I go find one.”

“Well he gave us a bucket. And there’s lye soap in the kitchen. Fill that with water, would you?” Sypha asked. She slid the pail over the table and Trevor did as he was asked. The bucket was filled with soap and water, ready to be used for the mop. Sypha retrieved a dust pan from a shelf in the kitchen and picked up the broom. “I will get started here. You wash the dishes and clean the counters, stove, and cabinets.”

Sypha and Trevor set about cleaning the kitchen. The open window let clean spring air in. Trevor dragged a wet rag over the counters, scrubbing off spills from their earlier cooking. Sypha leaned into corners and pulled chairs aside while she swept. While she cleaned, she pulled a clean handkerchief out of her pockets and tied her hair back. Like one would do with a bandana. Trevor grunted and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. The stovetop was quick to clean. The cabinets, however, were taking some work. He removed stacks of plates and sets of cups as he went, standing up onto his toes to clean in the back of the cabinets. Dust, cobwebs, and all manner of dirt and grime came away. Trevor sighed. He needed a new rag.

Meanwhile Alucard was looking through his mother’s things. She had an assortment of dresses. Dracula enjoyed his wife greatly, and pleased himself by procuring finery for her to wear. Lisa prefered simpler dresses. Ones that she could work in. But like any lady she did like beautiful dresses. There were all manners of colors and materials. Dresses from all over the globe hung in his parent’s closet. Since they were cleaning he wanted to get something simple. And dark colored, so that stains and dirt wouldn’t show. Sypha was a practical woman, just as his mother was. He disregarded the silks and ball gowns. But he also found himself thinking about what colors would look best on her. What neckline would look most fetching on her? Maybe something with lacing, or a cinched waist, to show off her figure. It was foolish to think about. This was just something for her to wear. But he couldn’t help it. He ran his fingers over a soft pink thing. Not good for cleaning. However…

He pulled out a forest green dress. It was dark colored and simple. With a square neckline that would show off her lovely collarbone and seemly neck. There was minimal boning in the torso, allowing for free movement but still shaping her body. The skirt was long, but would not drag along the floor. There was a simple set of white linen undergarments for her to wear. It would be perfect with an apron for cleaning, and she could wear it casually. Alucard tucked it carefully into his arms.

Trevor wet his rag in soapy water again. He turned to another cabinet, pulling open the door and cleaning the door and shelves. They had a lot of cabinets. And a lot of dishes. Seemed unnecessary to have so many dishes. Thinking about it, they probably had this many at the Belmont estate. But they were far more than a three person family. Did Dracula even eat off of plates? He was fucking Dracula. He didn’t think vampires ate human food. Not that they were incapable of it. Did he eat dinner with his wife? She probably cooked for herself. He tried to imagine Dracula sitting down to a nice family dinner with his wife and child and eating fish and greens off of fine china. It felt strange and alien to think about.

“What are you mumbling about over there?” Sypha said.

“They have so many dishes.” Trevor repeated out loud. “Why does Dracula need so many plates?”

“For guests. For dinner. What do you expect, Belmont?” Alucard said from behind them. He handed off a green bundle of cloth to Sypha. “Try this on.”

“Thank you.” Sypha said. She walked out and left Alucard and Trevor to the kitchen. It was mostly clean. Sypha had succeeded in sweeping the dirt into the dustpan. Alucard picked it up and tossed the dirt out through the open window. Trevor was finishing the last of the cabinets, and Alucard began to put the plates and cups back into the cabinets that had already been cleaned and dried. Together they made quick work of it, and then it was done.

“We should mop the floor.” Trevor said.

“Yes.” Alucard said. He picked up the mop and began to work. “You clean the sink.”

Trevor rolled his eyes and did so. “I already cleaned the dishes in the sink. Isn’t the sink clean from all the soap?”

“Better to wash it. That way it _looks_ clean. I do hope you don’t just sit in a tub of soapy water then call yourself clean. Tell me you do some scrubbing.”

“I wash my hair. And all the nastiest bits.” Trevor said. “I prefer not to bathe.”

“Shocking.” Alucard muttered under his breath. Trevor glared at him, but the glare was quickly softened when he saw Sypha return.

He didn’t know why he was so shocked. Maybe it was because he had never seen Sypha wear anything besides her Speaker garb. But the sight of her knocked the wind out of him. There was nothing special about the dress. It was well made, it was certainly fancier than what peasant women wore from day to day. Like something one would wear to church. Plain and beautiful. White ruffles stuck out from her elbow length green sleeves. There was no embroidery or intricate details. Just beautiful green fabric and Sypha. Green looked lovely on her.

Alucard was feeling very much the same thing as Trevor. When he saw Sypha in her dress, he understood why Dracula took so much personal pleasure in finding beautiful things for his mother to wear. He was right, the neckline of the dress showed off her collarbone. But Alucard looked at the empty space, his eyes drawn to it. Maybe he could find a necklace for her to wear. A simple golden piece or a string of pearls. Something simple enough that she would accept his gift. Something that would match the other dresses he wanted to put her in. But something just as beautiful, something to match and enhance her delicate looks.

“This will do.” Sypha said, pulling at her skirt to look at the fabric. “However I would like an apron. Since we’re cleaning. It would be a shame to ruin this nice dress.”

“Of course.” Alucard said. The words came out slightly strained, but he was proud at being able to say them at all. Trevor was flicking his eyes up and down, like he wasn’t sure where to look. The minimal boning in the corset gave her waist the most interesting shape. Her orange hair complimented the green nicely. Trevor hated to say it, but Alucard made a great choice. Maybe he had more dresses.

Sypha tied the apron around her waist. “Alright. You two boys finish up the kitchen. I’ve got rugs to beat out.”

They nodded dumbly and watched her as she left. Her skirt spun around her ankles as she turned. Trevor watched the movement with fascination. And then she was gone.

Trevor went back to his work, cleaning the sink. Rinsing soap suds down the drain. Alucard made quick work of mopping the floor. Then the kitchen was clean. They moved out to work on other things. Alucard swept the hall, Trevor cleaned the windows, and Sypha beat out the rugs. There was a sweet tune in the air. Alucard was singing something. Trevor didn’t recognize the words, the language was foreign to him, but the melody was pleasing. His strokes fell into time with the tune, and Trevor let his shoulders relax. The clean windows shined brightly against the sunny sky. Trevor undid the latch and pushed them open to let clear air in. All this sweeping was kicking up a lot of dust.

Sypha carried the rugs back in and laid them in place on the clean floors. She was singing with Alucard. Evidently she knew the song.

“What is that?” Trevor asked.

“It’s a harvest song, from the far off kingdom of Alamannia. When they have the harvest, they sing in the feild to make the work easy. Just a song to pass time.” Sypha explained with a smile. “Some stories come in songs, and Speakers remember them too.”

Trevor nodded. Alucard and Sypha did not stop singing. Trevor used the feather duster to pull cobwebs out of corners. The castle smelled of soap. Sypha began to polish the statues and suits of armor that decorated the hall. Alucard once again tossed another dustpan of filth through the open window. The three friends worked through the day, going from libraries to bathrooms and thoroughly cleaning everything they saw. It was relaxing, repetitive work. Trevor let his mind go pleasantly blank while he wiped the bathroom mirror down. All he heard was the Alamannian harvest song. There was nothing to worry about.

There was something healing about cleaning the castle. It made Trevor feel like he was a part of the castle, like it was his home because he was helping to maintain it. They were all a family doing the spring cleaning together. Trevor sighed with contentment. He was happy with being part of a family. Maybe they could be like this. Forever. Why go to places like Lindenfeld when they could stay here? Cook meals and clean their home together. In the daytime Sypha could do the laundry and Trevor could help Alucard fix up the Belmont hold. Sypha could spend her nights obsessing over all the books at her disposal. Alucard could spend his whole life pissing Trevor off.

They could be happy together.

This epiphany had only just now struck Trevor. Dracula’s castle. A place his ancestors had spent centuries trying to break into and destroy, was a place Trevor felt at home for the first time in over a decade. He could be happy here. He could be with his friend and his lover forever. Cleaning the mirror of a vampire.

His stomach growled, interrupting the thought.

“Hungry, are we?” Alucard said smugly. His sentence was punctuated by another growl, this time Sypha.

“Ah.” She said. “I suppose we’ve been at it a long time! We may have missed lunch. It’s a bit early for dinner but… I think it’s time we took a break!”

Alucard looked around. The castle was stunningly clean. They hadn’t gotten to all of it. But that was an impossible task for a handful of mortals and a dhampir to finish in one day. Dracula used to have a team of servants, before he abandoned them all to live in solitude. The castle got very, very dusty in that time. And despite the efforts of his mother to keep it clean, she never really fixed it properly. But with the three of them working over the course of a week, they might be able to do it.

“Yes. I think you’re right.” Alucard agreed. “I shall make dinner this time.”

“Ah, yes.” Sypha sighed happily. “I am not feeling in a cooking mood right now.”

They had a delicious, simple meal. Alucard peeled wild root vegetables while Sypha regaled them with merry tales she’d learned in her time as a Speaker. Trevor poured them glass after glass of wine, and they basked in warm candlelight. The glow of the setting sun streamed through the window. Alucard fried his root vegetables in the fat of a roasted duck. The clean kitchen was incredibly cozy, despite the stone cold walls and haunted atmosphere of the gothic castle.

They ate slowly, even Trevor, wanting to enjoy each other’s company for the longest time. Even after their meal was finished, they continued to sit around the table. Sypha was just telling them the story of a small village and their peaceful coexistence with fairies when Trevor let out a big yawn. He stifled it behind his palm, but it was still heard in the quiet comfort of the kitchen.

Sypha smiled. “Tired, Treffy?”

“Not at all.” The hunter lied. An easy grin spread over his face. “Just have a short attention span. From my brain-damaged alcohol consumption.”

“Well, I’ve had a bit too much wine as well.” Sypha sighed, swirling the last of what was in her glass around. “Why does Dracula have so much alcohol anyway?”

“Dracula was the lord of the vampires. He had a lot of people here and some of them liked alcohol. Vampires, humans, everyone seems to like wine.” Alucard explained. “Also I think after cleaning all those rooms we can say for certain my father may have been… a bit of a collector of sorts.”

“A mentally ill hoarder.” Trevor slurred loudly. “Remember? With the Belmont hold. Maybe they had that in common.”

Alucard didn’t seem to take offense to that at all. Later he would blame the obscene giggle he made on the alcohol. But he knew full well that alcohol hardly affected him. “Maybe.” He agreed. “Should we be off to bed?”

“Nooooo.” Trevor groaned, sounding much like a whiny child. “Like Sypha’s stories. Just wanna… have another glass. To keep me warm. Find a couch, and listen to Sypha tell us stories until the sun rises.”

“Mmmm. Sounds good.” Sypha said, her face rosy from the wine. “Best idea you’ve had, Treffy. Let’s go to the sitting room! I have a book there I could read to you.”

Alucard rolled his eyes and smiled fondly, following his stumbling, drunken friends to a nearby lounge. They gracelessly fell into the cushioned sofa. Sypha leaned against an armrest, and Trevor sprawled out over the whole length with his cheek pressed into Sypha’s shoulder. Alucard sat down in an armchair next to the two and settled in. Sypha picked up the nearby book and began to read.

It was a children’s fairy tale. One about a prince who falls in love with a princess, and needs to earn her love and kiss in order to regain his human form. Sypha trips several times over the words “frog prince” but neither Trevor nor Alucard cares. They lose themselves in her beautiful voice as they all fall asleep in their chairs. Alucard blinks slowly, watching Trevor put his arms around Sypha in his sleep. And before he goes under, Alucard feels a confusing stab of a jealousy with a swell of affection.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yada yada, romance, feelings, spicy stuff. Love it! Sorry for the wait. I wish I had a proper excuse. But I was playing animal crossing and sleeping. So uuuuh, enjoy! This shit is wrapping up pretty soon. I hope you all enjoyed this story!

Alucard awoke from a warm dream to a bright ray of sunlight from the window. Birds sang outside, welcoming in the morning. Sypha and Trevor still slept across from him. The book laid flat on her chest. She was still wearing the green dress from yesterday, and Alucard’s first stirring thought was that he should retrieve another one for her. A new thing for her to wear today. He stood and sluggishly shuffled out of the room.

Soon Trevor was also fighting out of the clutches of slumber. He was leaning against Sypha, and blushed when he felt the wet patch on her shoulder. He sheepishly wiped the drool away from his mouth. No need for her to know about that. Probably time for her to have a new change of clothes anyway. And breakfast. Always good to have a hot meal in the morning.

“Sypha.” He shook his lover gently. She groaned and pushed weakly against him. Protesting the disturbance of her peace. “Sypha. Alucard is gone.”

“He’s what?!” She instantly shot up in alarm. Trevor reeled back to avoid the smacking of their skulls.

“Calm down! Calm down! He left not that long ago. It’s what woke me up. He left calmly, no need to panic.” He patted her across the shoulders. “He’s probably getting a meal ready. Or changing out of his clothes.”

Sypha sighed and rubbed at her forehead. “Dear lord, why did we indulge so much in the wine?”

“Once wine is flowing it’s hard to put the cork on.” Trevor said sagely. She took it as experienced advice from a long-time drunk.

“Well I suppose we should be getting a meal in too.” She lifted the book off the floor where it had fallen and placed it on the table in front of them. Before she could stand up and even so much as stretch her back out, Alucard had returned. Holding a soft blue thing in his arms.

“Oh. You’re awake.” Alucard observed. “I got you this. You were cleaning all day yesterday. Those clothes must be dusty. Trevor should change too. But I don’t have anything in his size.”

“Thank you, Alucard.” She said, taking them gladly.

Trevor grumbled. He didn’t think it necessary to change. But Sypha was obviously going to force him. There was no point arguing the issue. “Alright, alright. What are we having for breakfast?”

“I shall prepare something while you change.” Alucard said. With that the vampire swept off, leaving them alone in the lounge to change.

Sypha was already pulling off her dress, leaving on the underdress and slipping her new clothes on over it. Trevor looked at Sypha’s arms as they slipped beneath the fabric. The little curls at the base of her head where her hair met her neck. All the little scars she’d earned on the road. He was in love with Sypha. That was true. He wanted to be with her forever. Also true. But now. Something felt like it was missing from their life. That had always been true. Trevor hadn’t really understood before. He thought maybe it was a home. Or an adventure waiting to fill the void. But after spending time with Alucard, blissful, busy time filled with laughter and light. He realized he wanted Alucard to be with them.

Maybe he would get married to them.

“Sypha.” Trevor said as she began to do up her laces. “I want to tell Alucard that I love him.”

Sypha looked a little surprised. But maybe not as surprised as she could have been. “Do I get to do this too?” She said, her tone playful. Her eyes were full of that old fire. The fire he’d missed. It was the spark of adventure inside of her.

“Well obviously.” He took her hands in his own. Squeezing them tightly. “We do everything together. I promised you.”

Sypha’s smile was happy, until it fell suddenly. She pulled away, holding herself. “But he’s still distant. Sometimes he’s with us. But other times… I think I hear him crying at night. I see him when he thinks we aren’t looking. He’s in pain. And he hasn’t told us why. Those people…”

Trevor grimaced. The people on poles. The people they’d burned in the night when Alucard was holed up in his great gothic fortress. The silver scars. He knew that Alucard had been hurt by them in a way that ran deeper than silver. Those scars, from what he had seen, ran all over his body. The little sneaking glances he got when Alucard’s shirt rode up told him that the burns ran down his waistband. He may have been naked when he received them. The nightgowns. The fact that the murder scene was a bedroom. Crusted sheets. He grit his teeth at the thought.

“We promised three nights ago that we’d ask him today.” Trevor remembered. “Are we still…?”

“Yes! No. I don’t know.” Sypha admitted. “I want him to share with us. There’s a nagging curiosity that eats at me whenever I think about it. But if it happened exactly as I think it did… I understand why he might want it to be private. Forever.”

“We can ask him. If he doesn’t want to tell us then we are going to support him. And love him.” Trevor said, determined. “Tonight. After we do whatever he wants to do today.”

“Whatever he wants?” Sypha smiled. “That’s a great idea, Treffy.”

“Don’t call me that.” Trevor smiled. He was instantly pulled out of the moment by the cloying smells of food wafting into his nostrils. He turned instantly and began walking towards the kitchen.

Alucard was inside. Making hotcakes and eggs. He had a pitcher of cold tea set out already. “Sorry. I haven’t warmed it up yet.”

“Cold tea is just fine.” Sypha said. She gratefully poured herself a cup.

“Ale would be better.” Trevor grumbled

Sypha rolled her eyes. “Ah yes.” Alucard said flatly. “The Belmont affection for alcohol. Get over your first hangover before plunging into your second. I’d like for your liver to last until tuesday. Have some tea Belmont.”

Sypha’s tinkling laughter rang out at Trevor’s expense. Trevor couldn’t bring himself to come up with a witty comeback. He smiled at her joy. “Whatever. Pour a glass out for me.” He said as he kicked his feet up onto the table.

“Belmont!” Alucard and Sypha shouted at once.

Finally Alucard set breakfast out before them. Trevor downed his first glass of tea and started in on his eggs. Sypha ate with far more grace, reaching across the table and spreading some marmalade onto her hotcakes. “So, Alucard. What are your plans today?”

The vampire shrugged, pushing eggs about his plate with the prongs of his fork. “I didn’t really have many today. Usually I spend time in my father’s library. He made sure I was well schooled, but I must confess that I haven’t read even a fraction of the titles in his collection. Would you like to join me?”

Sypha took another hearty swig of her tea. “I would. But Trevor’s literacy is still… not to our standards. I was hoping we could engage in some other group activity today. I did enjoy the cleaning. We could continue with that. Or find something else to do.”

Trevor groaned, leaning back in his chair until the front legs swung off the ground, tilting precariously. “Do we have to clean again? Isn’t there anything else to do in this god forsaken castle? As much as I like scrubbing the floors, my hands are dry from the lye soap.”

Sypha frowned. But she had to agree. Two days in a row of toiling labor wasn’t the best idea. But there wasn’t much to do in the castle. There were mostly quiet, isolated forms of entertainment, things to fix, and chores to do. Dracula obviously hadn’t been very accustomed to company. But there must be something to do. He had a small army of vampires in his castle when they arrived to slay him. He raised a child in this castle. Dracula had obviously had a wife at some point. So what had they done for leisure.

“What are the leisure activities in the castle?”

Alucard tipped his head back in contemplation. “There aren’t many. Vampires have pastimes humans would consider… unsavory. Sport hunting. Pet keeping. Means of subjugating humans for sadistic entertainment. My mother and father considered scholarship to be the greatest activity. So they read books for fun and ran experiments. I mostly played outside as a child. This castle isn’t very well suited for visitors.”

Trevor scowled. Alucard looked away, quickly hiding his face behind a glass of tea. Right. Belmonts. A tense silence briefly hung in the air. Sypha’s mind whizzed with different possibilities. Then she clapped her hands together and smiled. “Well I know what we can do!” She said cheerfully. “I’d like to explore the woods. Figure out where the best fish are caught. Good berry thickets. Just take a walk and enjoy the fresh air. Trevor can show us the places he played as a child, and Alucard can tell us about how he forages. So, would you like to take a walk?”

“A walk.” Trevor repeated. It wasn’t a terrible idea. They’d been cooped up in the stuffy old castle for an unhealthy amount of time. “Alright.”

“Yes. That would be fine. We should probably get some chives anyway.” Alucard said quietly.

They finished their breakfast quickly. Eggs and hotcakes washed down quickly with tea and they were on their way out the door. Moving with a sense of urgency that they hadn’t had before. It didn’t make much sense. They had been fine in the castle until Sypha brought up leaving. But now? Yes… It was time to go. The sunlight hit their faces and Alucard let out a barely audible sigh of contentment.

Belmont frowned at his old family house. “Are you… rebuilding it?”

Alucard glanced over at the half-finished structure. “Oh yes. But I’ve barely even started on it.”

“You know, there’s still rubble in the castle. The castle _you_ live in.” Trevor pointed out accusingly. “You could afford to get your priorities straight.”

Alucard merely shrugged. “Perhaps I’m procrastinating. Dracula’s castle is… significantly larger than the old Belmont house. I don’t even want to _think_ about trying to clean up the engine room right now. Molten gears and crumbling structure. I think I’ll just leave it for now.”

Trevor looked silently at the old house. It was strange to see it being erected again. It had been a long time since he’d lived there. He never once thought about rebuilding it. Being on the run from the church and hated by the general public meant he never dared to step foot on his ancestral lands before. Besides that, without his family he hadn’t seen the value of calling the rubble his home again. But now…

He looked over at Sypha in her simple sapphire blue dress. Alucard turning his face towards the sun in a strangely human gesture, he imagined living there with his friends. Dracula’s castle was good for now. But the Belmont home? He’d never dared to dream. They could roast hazelnuts like he used to in the grand fireplace. Maybe he could continue the Belmont line, if Sypha would stay with him forever.

He wanted to marry them.

He shook at the thought. That was the second time he had thought it that day. Being excommunicated was never really a problem. The Belmonts didn’t live to spite god like the Speakers did, but they never really devoted themselves to the church either. He didn’t mind that he couldn’t be married in a church. Not until Sypha. Now he thought on it seriously. Should they return to her caravan and be married as the Speakers did? That might be better anyway. Churches tended to want only two people to be involved in a marriage. The church also insisted those two people have completely separate sets of genitals. The Speakers had no such requirements. Marriage was spiritual and ceremonial for them. A bond between people that already shared everything together, living nomadically and travelling with little to no worldly possessions. Would her family accept him? Would Alucard want to be married to them? He hadn’t even stated his feelings yet.

“Trevor! Oh honestly, I call you brain damaged but this is too much. Stop spacing out! You’ve walked into the river.” Sypha shouted, tugging the back of his shirt to pull him out of the shallow water.

“You know, we really ought to stop giving him so much wine.” Alucard said with a satisfied smirk.

“Shut up.” Trevor muttered. The thing he said when he didn’t have anything witty lined up. His mind was still muddled with thoughts of marriage and children.

“Oh! It’s the tree!” Sypha said suddenly. She ran up to the base of the gnarled old tree. It looked slightly less sinister than the last time he had seen in. Still without leaves, but bathed in sunlight and surrounded by wildflowers and tall grass. Sypha was walking around the roots, looking into the hollow of the tree. “Ah! I found his stash.”

“My stash?” He repeated incredulously. Trevor stepped forward with Alucard to look in the hole Sypha had her head jammed into. Trevor squinted into the darkness, and saw exactly what she was talking about. Inside the hollow of the tree were several treasures he’d hidden away as a child. A silver coin, a wooden soldier, a few shiny rocks, a bracelet with glass beads. He couldn’t remember the significance of any of these objects, but he smiled seeing them.

Sypha picked up the little wooden doll. “So sweet.” She whispered.

“My father gave that to me.” Trevor remembered out loud. “On my sixth birthday. My mother gave me holy water and my first whip. Dad wasn’t so amused.”

Alucard reached his hand deeper into the hollow, pulling out some torn out pages of a poetry book. “I was right. Your family _is_ made up of mentally ill hoarders.”

“You have no right to talk. That castle is a dragon’s keep.” Trevor shot back.

Alucard rolled his eyes and pulled himself out of the tree.

“How many siblings did your family have?” Alucard asked.

“Too many. I can’t believe my mother was still standing. Between that and the vampire hunting, she was a true warrior.” Trevor replied. “I can’t fucking believe Dracula had a kid at all.”

Alucard snorted. “Neither could he. My kind are… relatively unheard of. However, I’m aware your family has a series of books detailing what they know of dhampirs. You also have a dhampir skull in that ghastly case.”

Trevor and Sypha whipped their heads towards him so fast they nearly snapped their neck. “I have _what?_ ”

“In the case. There is a very small skull. A child’s skull.” Trevor’s jaw dropped as Alucard explained. “Your family keeps records on those skulls. That was a dhampir child from Styria.”

Sypha shuffled uncomfortably. “I never looked too closely at the case.”

“You shouldn’t. Awful thing that it is. I’d like to get rid of it. But I shouldn’t throw out the possessions of another family.” Alucard said.

“Oh honestly. I don’t want a child’s head in my basement. It’ll just give me nightmares. Get rid of it if you want to.” Trevor said, folding his arms to hide the fact that his hands were shaking. “Or I’ll do it for you.”

Sypha stepped away from the tree. She was silent, staring ahead into space for an impossibly long amount of time. In all likelihood it was only a few moments. “Well. Where to next?” She said lightly. Alucard and Trevor gladly took the change of subject and followed her deeper into the wood.

Alucard fell behind the group. He watched Trevor take hold of Sypha’s hand. His eyes followed the swaying movements of their hips as they walked. The faint suggestion of Trevor’s muscles through his loose linen shirt. Sypha would occasionally let go of Trevor’s hand and crouch down to the ground to show him some plant or another. She would explain its medicinal purposes or what parts were edible. Trevor would follow what she was saying with uncharacteristic patience. Sypha would laugh at his tasteless jokes much more than she ever would have before. They gave each other touches of intimacy without thinking. She’d brush his hair out of his face or Trevor would wrap an arm over her shoulder. It struck Alucard how much they’d changed each other. Fallen into place in each other’s lives like experienced lovers would. It made him sick with guilt then to stare at the enticing curve of Sypha’s waist. He quietly indulged his lust. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

Sypha, however, wasn’t so quiet about her desires. She never quite said she wanted to sleep with Alucard, but she didn’t attempt to hide it from him either. She would squeeze his shoulder, lean against him when they sat down on the path, and give him bedroom eyes with all the subtlety of an avalanche. Alucard would glance over at Trevor. He should be pissed off. Alucard _expected_ him to be pissed off. But he’d just watch Sypha with a little twinkle of amusement in his eye. It was all too confusing. But Alucard secretly reveled in the attentions of his favorite woman.

They picked blackberries on their walk back, kneeling in the dirt. Trevor would pop two berries in his mouth for every one he tossed in the basket. Sypha would swat his arm and scold him to do his job. But Trevor wasn’t cowed. Alucard picked berries quietly and smiled. He’d missed this.

They made it back to the castle in time for lunch. They feasted themselves on berries and homemade bread. But they had only used half of the day. Sypha licked juices off of her hands while she waited for inspiration to strike. Easier said than done. The walk had been her best idea yet.

Luckily, Belmont came to the rescue. “Do you think they have any more clothes in this castle? Not that I’m complaining. But I think we’re going to be here for a while. Let’s sort through it. Get Sypha some more dresses. And maybe a spare shirt or two for me.”

“Hm. Yes. Maybe changing your clothes more often would help to assuage the smell.” Alucard said.

Trevor sneered. “Yes. Trevor stinks. God, I’ve never heard that one before.”

“That’s a great idea!” Sypha exclaimed. She clapped her hands together. “I’ve been very happy with the clothes you’ve provided me. They are quite beautiful.”

Alucard flushed from his chest to the roots of his hair. “Well. My mother had more clothes than she ever made use of. My father may have… tried to spoil her.”

Sypha smiled softly. “How sweet.”

Trevor stayed silent. It was his instinct to jump in to tear Dracula apart. But… he was dead now. What was even the point of that? For the sake of not hurting his grieving son, he left Dracula alone for the moment. Somewhere Leon Belmont was rolling in his grave. “Is that a yes?” Trevor prompted.

“I don’t see why not.” Alucard said. He stood. “I’ll show you their quarters.”

A surge of curiosity ran up Trevor’s spine. The room where Dracula and Lisa stayed? Not he had to admit a little interest in that. He followed Alucard out of the sitting room. Sypha close on his heels. Alucard took twists and turns through the labyrinthian hallways and up long winding stairways. Past the childhood bedroom where Dracula was slain to the end of a hallway. Alucard swung the door open and stepped inside smoothly.

Trevor wasn’t _exactly_ sure what he had been expecting. But somehow it was not this. Everything else about the castle was lavish and opulent. This bedroom was surprisingly… homey. Very human. The looming four poster bed was exactly as he had expected of Dracula’s castle, but the patchwork quilt spread over it wasn’t. There were plain ceramic vases and oil lanterns on the bedside table. There was a small vanity in the corner with a brush and a few small pots on it’s surface. There were souvenirs spread out on the dresser and a lace doily under them. A pot of incense stood waiting. It was clear how much of an influence Lisa had on Dracula’s life. And Trevor found himself oddly touched by this room.

Alucard opened another door. One to a walk-in closet. Inside there were many sets of clothes. One wall dedicated entirely to long dresses and gowns. The other wall lined with long, black cloaks and loose cotton shirts. Several sets of heavy boots edged along every wall. Tucked away under hanging garments. Sypha gasped. “So many dresses!”

“I wasn’t kidding about spoiling my mother.” Alucard deadpanned. “Some of these are maternity gowns. So not all of these will fit you. I think you’d like this yellow one.”

Sypha took it without question. “Do you think any of these will fit Trevor? Dracula wasn’t normally proportioned.”

Alucard hummed. “Good point. We could adjust them. My mother taught me how to sew. I imagine a Speaker would know as well. You make your own robes. We could teach Trevor.”

“Yes!” Sypha agreed. The sparkle in her eyes was the telltale look she always had whenever she was about to leap into another ambitious undertaking. Trevor groaned. He might as well just pick out whatever he liked then. He began to look through Dracula’s selection.

As expected, his clothes were much larger than most normal people. There were many black button ups, white ruffles, and red lined capes. But there was also a surprising amount of normal human traveling garb mixed in. Grey vests, thick brown pants, wool sweaters. Trevor’s brain strained around the image of Dracula wearing a green knit sweater. He remembered Alucard saying something about Lisa sending her husband to travel.

Looking around, he realized how utterly human the love of a woman had made the vampire lord. Trevor picked a pair of pants off of its hanger.

Sypha gasped. “Lovely.” She pulled out a white regency dress. It was rather plain, with no real detailing. But Trevor could see why she would call it lovely. Something about it was delicate and refined. Sypha cradled it in her arms and continued down the wall.

Alucard leaned in the doorway. Watching them pick through his parent’s things. It should probably bother him. But these clothes would just sit here… unused until these moths ate them away. He did so enjoy seeing Sypha wear beautiful things. And he thought he might enjoy teaching Trevor to sew. He grinned when she picked the regency dress. She would look _fantastic_ in that.

Trevor finished quicker than Sypha. And soon he found himself holding all of the things she wanted while she made her way through the selection. There was a lot to look through. Night gowns and ball gowns, plain day dresses and things that would look more fitting in a festival than anywhere else. Sypha quietly wondered if they had gone to May day celebrations together. She realized many of Dracula’s traveling cloaks had large hoods attached. She shook her head and placed another garment in Trevor’s waiting arms.

“Well. I think that will do.” She said finally. She turned and began to flip through what Trevor had gathered. “This isn’t enough.” She said with a frown.

“How many shirts do I even need? I’m not going to wear that gothic vampire crap.” Trevor complained.

“We can make him some clothes. If we’re going to alter all these things we might as well.” Alucard suggested. “It’s not like we don’t have fabric in this castle.”

“That’s a fine idea.” Sypha agreed. “Well. That was a light lunch. What are we making for dinner?”

“We still have berries. And meat. We could make meat pies.” Trevor butted in. Sypha nodded. Alucard shrugged. “Looks like we’re all in agreement then.” He said sarcastically.

“Hush you. If we’re going to make pies we should get started now. That crust won’t make itself.” But Sypha was already rolling up her sleeves. She looked excited at the thought. Her boys diligently followed her down to the kitchen, carrying all the clothes with them. The sun was passing into the tree line when they finally started. Alucard had set the clothes down in the library. They would return later to alter them. Sypha had already gathered the flour and salt and was starting in on the dough while Trevor cut up the leftover meat. Alucard joined, helping her measure and mix ingredients. They added suet as their fat, finely minced, and began to knead the dough. Trevor oiled the pie tins before they lined it with their suet crust. Soon they were loading meat in and adding the top crust. Sypha pinched the edges and added decorative leaves made of leftover crust before they added it to a hot oven. It ate an hour of time, and as they sat around the table, drinking tea and brandy and having a good laugh, they passed another hour. The sun was gone by now.

Sypha stood to retrieve the pies from the oven. Trevor eagerly drank the heady smell of cooked venison and toasted crust. Alucard gave a little sigh of pleasure when she set the food in front of them. They all dug in quickly. Trevor ate nearly half a pie on his own. Sypha glared at him. “You eat so much! Have some restraint.”

Trevor gave his lover a rakish grin. “I’m a growing boy.”

“Growing outwards if you keep eating like that.” Sypha teased.

“I’m a warrior! Give me a break.” He said, popping a handful of berries into his open mouth. Alucard looked him over. Actually, if anything he seemed to be gaining more muscle mass. Hauling firewood and doing hard labor on Sypha’s whim certainly hadn’t left him in a state of decline. Trevor kept his warrior’s body and his ravenous appetite. He took another sip of brandy and looked away. Unwilling to examine if the burning feeling in his stomach was alcohol or arousal.

Tender meat melted in Sypha’s mouth. The crust was salty and the gravy well-seasoned. She gave a little moan of pleasure. If she was going to eat like this every night, she was going to have to adjust Lisa’s gowns. She grinned to herself. She’d just have to add some more physical activity. Again, she found her eyes wandering over Alucard for the millionth time that day. Yeah. More physical activity. She bit her lip.

Trevor pounded back one last glass of brandy before Sypha confiscated the alcohol from him. He wasn’t totally wasted. Trevor floated somewhere between buzzed and drunk with a little smile. He laughed and leaned over the table. “Oh, man. Alucard. You are a son of a bitch. That was great.”

“Better than your silly adventures?” Alucard said lightly.

“Oh. Well those were pretty good. But we missed you.” Trevor frowned as he thought about it. “Would have been better with you. We didn’t talk about you a lot. But that’s just cause we missed you.”

Alucard listened quietly, giving a little “hmm” as a response. He wasn’t sure if he should be taking Trevor’s words seriously or not. He was obviously intoxicated. But also, earnest. Trevor scooted over, hopping over a seat until he was sitting next to Alucard. Then he grabbed Alucard’s glass, drank the rest of his brandy, and looked him right in the eyes.

“I’m in love with you.” He said, dead serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit! We finally come to THAT point of things. I'm excited. Get ready for some uuuuuh porn next chapter. Lmao

**Author's Note:**

> Lmao I'm supposed to update my A/B/O My Hero Academia fic but I'm unmotivated and I've been binging Castlevania. After season three I'm left with a lot of feelings and a need to fucking do something about it. So here it is and THEN I'll work on my other fic. Fuck


End file.
